Arriving for the first time in a country outside Asia, three golden monkeys land in France at Roissy-Charles de Gaulle Airport in a special Air China cargo shipment. After being processed by veterinary services, they are escorted under police protection to their new home at the ZooParc de Beauval, one of the largest zoos in Europe. These three representatives of the endangered species, considered a "Chinese national treasure," have been entrusted to the zoo as part of a conservation and research program. It's "an exceptional event," says Rodolphe Delord, the zoo's president and CEO, whose facility is located about 220 kilometres south of Paris. IMAGES