THE ZEN MONKEY IN PROFILE

The red-shanked douc (called ‘costume monkey’ in Danish) is one of the world’s most colorful and beautiful primates. It is also the most mild-tempered and peaceful monkey I have ever photographed. Especially when it closes its eyes and shows the light blue eyeshadow it looks positively zen-like. The individual in the photo is the father of a family also containing a couple of females and youngsters. The douc is endangered due to the destruction of the forests where it lives and illegal hunting. The latter results in the monkey normally being very shy and there is only one place in nature where you can get close to it, the Son Tra Peninsula in Vietnam.