Chinese zoologists have been successful in increasing the number of the country's black leaf monkeys, an endangered animal species on the state-protection list of China, by artificial breeding.

The black leaf monkey breeding center of Wuzhou city, in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, has reported the survival of more than 100 leaf monkeys bred in the center since it was set up in 1973.

Bei Bei, a female black leaf monkey brought up in captivity, gave birth to a baby monkey, Le Le, on Feb. 27. Bei Bei was born on July 13, 1999, and is one of the fourth generation of black leaf monkeys born in the center. Le Le, weighing 380 grams at birth, belongs to the fifth generation.

Both the mother and baby black leaf monkeys were in a good shape, said Liu Changhang, deputy head of the center, which saw the birth of the first leaf monkey in 1977.

Black leaf monkeys are born timid and vulnerable to diseases. It has been a headache to zoologists around the world to improve reproduction of the wildlife, which has a tail longer than its body.

There are approximately 5,000 leaf monkeys in the world, mostly living in Guangxi and southwestern Guizhou Province of China.

Liu, the deputy head, said Wuzhou city center had established a family tree for all leaf monkeys in the center, a move proved to be successful in avoiding in breeding and improving the survival rate of the endanger creature.

As high as 75 percent of black leaf monkeys born in the center have survived, Liu said.

(Xinhua News Agency March 1, 2004)