Singapore Zoo’s proboscis monkey in international spotlight
Cyrano, Singapore Zoo's Proboscis Monkey became the 6,000th species to be photographed by Joel Sartore for the National Geographic Photo Ark. Photo: Joel Sartore/National Geographic Photo Ark
SINGAPORE — One of Singapore Zoo’s 13 proboscis monkeys became the 6,000th species to be photographed under an effort by the National Geographic to create portraits of every animal under human care, marking the project’s halfway mark.
The endangered primate named Cyrano is just one of the 150 species being photographed.
The animals from the Zoo and sister parks Jurong Bird Park, Night Safari and River Safari are being photographed over 13 days by National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore.
Among them are the critically endangered Singapore freshwater crab, black-winged starling and southern river terrapin.
Called the National Geographic Photo Ark, the project aims to capture the intimate portraits of an estimated 12,000 species of birds, fish, mammals, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates, while highlighting the plight of threatened species.
“Many of these species may not be as charismatic or are very small,” said the Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) said in a media release on Thursday (June 9). “Under Joel’s lens, all of them are portrayed as equally worthy of our concerns and protection.”
Proboscis monkeys are severely threatened by habitat loss and hunting, said the WRS. They are only found in Borneo, which is being ravaged by logging, primarily for palm oil plantation and human settlement.
The male of this species has a distinctive feature — a pendulous nose that is believed to help resonate their calls and to attract females.
