In May 1992 the discovery of three pairs of horns in the only remaining area of pristine forest in northern Vietnam led to the description of a new species of ox. A total of 20 specimens have now been found, most of them consisting of only the horns and part of the skull. The Ministry of Forestry in Vietnam is enlarging and upgrading protected areas in the suspected 4000-sq-km range of the Vu Quang ox and surveys are under way in two proposed reserves in neighbouring Laos where the ox is also reported to occur. Meanwhile a local campaign is necessary to inform villagers of the valuable nature of this species and to ban further hunting.

The three species of crowned pigeons are endemic to New Guinea and nearby islands where they are declining in numbers, especially near human settlements where hunting pressure is high. Little is known about their biology and ecology or about the magnitude of the impact of the threats from hunting, capture for trade, and loss of their lowland forest habitat. The authors make recommendations for action needed to secure the future for these large and attractive birds.

Field studies at distant sites in Brazilian Amazonia have brought to light two new species of primate, the black-headed marmoset Callithrix nigriceps and the Ka'apor capuchin Cebus kaapori. Little is known about either species, although both appear to have small geographical ranges in regions with relatively high human densities and where habitat-degrading activities, such as logging and mining, have been intensifying over the past two decades. These discoveries highlight the uncertain nature of our understanding of primate diversity in what is probably the biologically richest nation on earth. They also underline the urgent need for more detailed information from many areas, especially southern Amazonia, where habitat destruction is increasing.

The brown howler monkey Alouatta fusca once had a wide geographical distribution throughout a large part of the Atlantic forest in Brazil. Today only 5 per cent of these forests remain and the species is endangered. Howler monkeys can thrive in small forest fragments but they are more vulnerable to hunting, disease, and predation in these habitats than in undisturbed forests. Brown howler monkeys are important seed dispersers of several plant species, particularly in isolated forest fragments where specialized frugivores are absent. In protected areas without large predators howlers can reach high densities and the management of these populations is necessary to avoid inbreeding.

Despite being officially listed as endangered in Nigeria, pangolins are still hunted in Ogun State, where deforestation has fragmented and reduced their forest habitat. To investigate pangolin status in the state, the authors interviewed hunters, forest workers and market traders selling wild animals or their parts for medicinal use. The authors also counted pangolins stocked by market traders during weekly visits to markets in six towns/villages. Only one of Nigeria's three pangolin species, Manis tricuspis, was encountered frequently. Hunters' reports and evidence of forest destruction suggest that even this species is becoming rare. An estimate of extinction-susceptibility shows that pangolins are at fairly high risk. Creation of sanctuaries for pangolins and other important sympatric vertebrates in forest relicts in south-west Nigeria and the establishment of semicaptive pangolin populations are advocated.

Five species of sea turtles are known from Madagascar's coastal waters. Fishermen on the western and south-western coasts take green turtle Chelonia mydas, loggerhead turtle Caretta caretta and olive ridley Lepidochelys olivacea for their meat. The hawksbill turtle Eretmochelys imbricata is taken mainly for its shell and for making stuffed specimens while the leatherback Dermochelys coriacea is seldom caught. Anecdotal evidence of fishermen and dealers in turtle products, measurement of captured animals and personal observations of the authors all point to declines in numbers and average size for green and hawksbill turtles, coupled with marked declines in nesting rates for these and the olive ridley.

The hog deer Axis porcinus was believed to be extinct in Sri Lanka until a recent preliminary survey revealed a single remaining population in a 35-sq-km area of the south-western coastal belt. The authors describe the results of their 3-month study, outline potential threats to the survival of the population and discuss possible conservation measures.

The bay cat Catopuma badia has been rediscovered in Borneo, where it is endemic and where there have been no confirmed sightings since 1928. In November 1992 an adult female, which had been captured by native trappers on the Sarawak-Indonesian border and kept in captivity for some months, was brought into the Sarawak Museum on the point of death. It was only the seventh known specimen and the first of a whole animal. In appearance it bears a striking resemblance to Temminck's cat C. temminckii, although it is much smaller. Genetic analysis of blood and tissue samples will assist in clarifying its taxonomic status.

The Asiatic wild buffalo Bubalus bubalis was widely distributed in the river systems of south and South East Asia, but habitat destruction, hunting and interbreeding with domestic water buffalo have resulted in only relict wild populations remaining. Unless protection measures are intensified, the species could disappear in India within a few decades.