COLUMBUS Scientist: Monkey might not be extinct

Researchers have yet to see one.
COLUMBUS (AP) -- A species of monkey thought likely to be extinct may still be swinging through the trees in Ivory Coast, Africa, an anthropologist who studies the animals says.
The Miss Waldron's red colobus monkey was declared likely extinct in 2000 by a team that included W. Scott McGraw, an assistant professor of anthropology at Ohio State University. None had been seen since 1978. But McGraw said Wednesday that he has evidence that the species survives.
Two years ago, McGraw retrieved the skin of a monkey a hunter killed in Ivory Coast that had the markings of the red colobus, he said. The pelt had the species' typical black hair on its back with reddish fur on its forehead and thighs, along with freshly dried blood.
Recently, he received a photo from an associate in Africa that shows a dead red colobus. McGraw is convinced the photo is genuine, he said.
About the monkey
The monkey grows to a height of about 3 feet, with a head that is small for its frame. It eats fruit, seeds and foliage and emits a loud shriek. The species is believed to be named for the companion of its discoverer. There are about 18 species of red colobus.
The Miss Waldron's species was the victim of farmers who removed much of their forest habitat and hunters who ate or sold their meat, McGraw said. He has made several trips to Ivory Coast and plans to return to the war-torn nation next summer. The United Nations is studying ways to keep the peace in the country on central Africa's Atlantic coast.
He has heard of sightings by hunters and other locals but has yet to see one himself.
"It's in the extreme southeast corner of Ivory Coast," McGraw said. "It is smack dab in the middle of the (colobus') historical distribution. All the hunters we talk to say the forests are crawling with them. This is the frustrating part."
Also frustrating is the state of the animals found so far, he said.
Keeping them alive
"The evidence we've got of the existence of this animal is all in the form of dead animals. But we don't want these hunters out shooting them," McGraw said.
John Oates, an anthropology professor at Hunter College in New York City, also was part of the team that declared the species likely to be extinct. He said McGraw's findings do not surprise him.
"We didn't dismiss the possibility that a few hung on somewhere," Oates said. "But no one's managed to see one jumping around in the trees."