At-risk primate species identified

Conservationists at a convention in India have identified 25 species of apes, monkeys, lemurs and other primates at the greatest risk of extinction. A report released at the U.N. Convention on Biological Diversity in Hyderabad said these species, humankind's closest living relatives, are in need of urgent conservation measures. The report flagged species most in danger of becoming extinct from destruction of tropical forests, illegal wildlife trade and commercial bush meat hunting, the International Union for Conservation of Nature said in a release Monday. The list features nine primate species from Asia, six from Madagascar, five from Africa and five from Central and South America. "Once again, this report shows that the world's primates are under increasing threat from human activities," Christoph Schwitzer of the Bristol Conservation and Science Foundation in Britain said. "Whilst we haven't lost any primate species yet during this century, some of them are in very dire straits."