2000 Kip Pygathrix Nemaeus

The douc langur (*Pygathrix nemaeus*) featured on this issue was already under severe pressure by 2001, with populations across Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia decimated by the Vietnam War — U.S. defoliation campaigns destroyed vast stretches of its forest habitat, and the species was heavily hunted by all sides for food during the conflict. Laos produced several small-denomination gold wildlife issues in this period targeting the collector market, with mintages kept deliberately low to sustain demand.