Highly Endangered Golden Langur Becomes Extinct In Guwahati’s Umananda As The Last One Dies
With the death of the lone golden langur (Trachypithecus geei) that inhibited the Umananda (originally called Bhashmachal) Island in the middle of the Brahmaputra in Assam, the species has become extinct on the island.
According to the Assam Tribune, the exact cause of Langur’s death is yet to ascertained and maybe answers will emerge after a postmortem. However, some conservationists think that a physical ailment, prolonged loneliness and depression suffered by the primate might have played a major role in shortening its life.
Golden langurs are critically-endangered species that are endemic to Bhutan and some parts of western Assam. It is one of the most endangered species of India, is closer to extinction.
“The habitat of Umananda is not suitable for the golden langur, primarily a leaf-eater. While it does get its share of fruits from those offered by devotees to the temple, it also feeds on items such as bread, cake, biscuits, etc. which it is not supposed to consume. Inbreeding had been another persistent issue detrimental to their health,” the Assam Tribune quoted a Forest official as saying.
Till some years ago the river island had a healthy population of golden langur but it plummeted to just five in some time. After the death of two others, the forest department relocated three golden langurs to the Assam state zoo in 2011.
According to a report the government has initiated several efforts to protect and preserve the 500 Golden Langurs (2019 census) that are left in Assam. The declining population of the langurs is also a result of declining food reserves and increasing incidents of human-animal conflict.