The number of black snub-nosed monkeys, an endangered species, continues to increase, the Chinese primatological society announced at an annual seminar on Wednesday.

The monkeys, known in China as Yunnan golden hair monkeys, are among the world's most endangered primates. They live in mountainous forests in southwest China's Yunnan Province and Tibet Autonomous Region.

Most of the monkeys live in the Baima Snow Mountain Nature Reserve in Yunnan, which was established in 1983.

The number of monkeys in the reserve has grown from 1,200 to 1,500 since 2004, said Xie Hongfang, head of the Baima Snow Mountain Nature Reserve Administration Bureau, adding that the animal's habitat has also expanded south about 40 km.

The total number of black snub-nosed monkeys in China has increased to over 3,000 from 500 in the 1980s, when they were close to extinction because local hunters poached them for food or their striking black and white fur.