Context:
Neighbours of a golden langur habitat in western Assam’s Bongaigaon district have opposed a move by the State government to upgrade it to a wildlife sanctuary.
- Kakoijana Reserve Forest is one of the better-known homes of the golden langur (Trachypithecus geei) found only in Assam and Bhutan and a Schedule-I species under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972.
Relevance:
GS III- Species in News, Facts for prelims
More about Golden Langur
- It is an Old World monkey found in a small region of western Assam, and in the neighbouring foothills of the Black Mountains of Bhutan.
- Long considered sacred by many Himalayan people, the golden langur was first brought to the attention of the western world by the naturalist E. P. Gee in the 1950s.
- It is listed as among the world’s 25 most endangered primates.
Habitat
- Their habitat lies in the region, south of the Brahmaputra River, on the east by the Manas River, on the west by the Sankosh River, all in Assam, India, and on the north by the Black Mountains of Bhutan
- Chakrashila WLS in Assam is India’s first wildlife sanctuary with golden langur as the primary species.
Protection status
- They are listed in Appendix I of CITES and Schedule I of Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
- IUCN status: Endangered
-Source: The Hindu
