Photo shows a Yunnan snub-nosed monkey at the Yunlong Tianchi National Nature Reserve in southwest China’s Yunnan Province. (Photo courtesy of the media convergence center of Yunlong county)
Days before the Minor Snow solar term, which fell on Nov. 22 this year, rangers, during a routine patrol, recorded a spectacular sight of Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys moving over a mountain ridge in the Longma Mountain area of the Yunlong Tianchi National Nature Reserve in southwest China’s Yunnan Province.
According to Yang Zibing, a professional ranger who participated in the filming, the troop of monkeys began moving and crossing the mountain on the afternoon of Nov. 16, following their midday rest. The activity lasted nearly half an hour.
Photo shows a Yunnan snub-nosed monkey at the Yunlong Tianchi National Nature Reserve in southwest China’s Yunnan Province. (Photo courtesy of the media convergence center of Yunlong county)
The Yunnan snub-nosed monkey, under first-class state protection in China, lives at higher elevations than any other primate on Earth. It is one of Yunnan’s most representative species and also a signature species of the reserve.
"I have worked as a ranger in the reserve for more than a decade and have been involved in Yunnan snub-nosed monkey monitoring for two years," said fellow ranger Yang Shaoyong. "I used to spot the monkeys from time to time, but it’s my first time seeing such a large group together."
Alongside the rare video, the reserve also reported encouraging progress.
Photo shows a Yunnan snub-nosed monkey at the Yunlong Tianchi National Nature Reserve in southwest China’s Yunnan Province. (Photo courtesy of the media convergence center of Yunlong county)
The reserve, together with several research institutions and other reserves, has conducted over two years of monitoring, surveys and data analysis, according to Li Yunfang, deputy director of the research institute of the reserve’s management and protection bureau.
As of November 2025, the population of Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys in the reserve has reached around 350, increasing by some 20 individuals per year over the past decade.
Photo shows a Yunnan snub-nosed monkey at the Yunlong Tianchi National Nature Reserve in southwest China’s Yunnan Province. (Photo courtesy of the media convergence center of Yunlong county)
Located in Yunlong county, Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, the Yunlong Tianchi National Nature Reserve, composed of two sections, represents the southernmost habitat of the species. The monkeys were first discovered in the reserve in 1988, when only 50 to 60 individuals were recorded.
Over the decades, however, the reserve has seen a steady growth in their numbers, a rise attributed to effective protection measures.
Intern Hou Shuyue contributed to this story.
Photo shows Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys at the Yunlong Tianchi National Nature Reserve in southwest China’s Yunnan Province. (Photo courtesy of the media convergence center of Yunlong county)
Photo shows a Yunnan snub-nosed monkey at the Yunlong Tianchi National Nature Reserve in southwest China’s Yunnan Province. (Photo courtesy of the media convergence center of Yunlong county)
原文地址：http://en.people.cn/n3/2025/1128/c90000-20396318.html