The Ministry of Environment recorded 56 remaining groups of the globally endangered stump-tailed macaque in Cambodia in 2020, each of which has between 50 and 60 members.

The species, known by its scientific name Macaca arctoides, is registered in the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as vulnerable.

“There is no exact number of this stump-tailed macaque in the world. But in Cambodia, research found that there are 56 groups of them,” said ministry spokesman Neth Pheaktra.

Pheaktra said there is a small number of stump-tailed macaque in the west of the Mekong River but a moderate amount on the east part of the river in Cambodia. They are also found in northeastern India, southern China, northern Thailand and some parts of Indochina.

The stump-tailed macaque looks similar to the northern pig-tailed macaque or macaca leonina. The only difference is that stump-tailed macaque has bright pink or red face and is bigger than the macaca leonina. It is normally between 8-12kg.

The stump-tailed macaque relies on rainforest for food and shelter, and is known to eat small insects, as well as seeds, fruits, tubers and other plants.

They prefer to live in the highlands, or in evergreen tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forest, and thrive in colder climates at elevations of up to 4km above sea level, according to the Wisconsin National Primate Research Centre.