Indochinese Rhesus Macaque (Macaca mulatta)

The Indochinese rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) is quite a hardy monkey. Being highly adaptable to a wide range of environments, they can be found in the high elevation and cold of the Himalayan mountains all the way down to the tropical heat of Cambodia and Vietnam.

This hardiness likely made them desirable in the field of research. Regarding biotech, pharmaceutical, and medical research worldwide, China is one of the major breeders and exporters of these macaques for research. In 1978, China established its rhesus (Macaca mulatta) captive-breeding program. By 1984, they began exporting their rhesus for research worldwide.

This little guy photographed is not part of the captive breeding program and presumably continues to happily reside near Baoxiang Temple in China's southern province of Yunnan.