NANNING, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- A group of Francois'langur monkeys that were bred in captivity were released into the wild Monday morning, the State Forestry Administration of China said.

The five monkeys were released into a nature reserve in southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the first time that captively bred endangered monkeys of this species have been released into the wild.

The primates belong to one family, and include a male, three females and a baby.

Huang Xianyang, director of the regional forestry department, said they had been bred and trained in the nature reserve for more than three years.

"It is also the first time that captively bred primates are being released into the wild in China," said Yang Chao, an official of the State Forestry Administration, adding that it meant protection of species in China had entered a new stage.

Also known as Francois' leaf monkeys, the species is one of China's most endangered wild animals, and also one of the endangered species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature red list. The species are found in China's Guangxi, Guizhou, Chongqing and the northern mountain areas of Vietnam.

There are approximately 300 Francois' langurs living in Guangxi.