Meet the Golden Langur: Assam's Golden Primate

Also known as Gee's golden langur, it is an Old World monkey found in a small region of Western Assam and in the neighboring foothills of the Black Mountains of Bhutan.

What is the Golden Langur?

Long considered sacred by many Himalayan people, the golden langur was first brought to the attention of the Western world by the naturalist Edward Pritchard Gee in the 1950s.

First Attention

Adult males have a cream to golden coat with darker flanks while the females and juveniles are lighter. The golden langur has a black face and a long tail up to 50 cm.

Appearance

It lives in high trees and has a herbivorous diet of fruits, leaves, seeds, buds and flowers.

Habitat

It is found in an area of approximately 30,000 square kilometres, bounded on the south by the Brahmaputra River, on the east by the Manas River, on the west by the Sankosh River, in Assam, and on the north by the Black Mountains of Bhutan.

Distribution

It is currently endangered with a decreasing population trend; the total population of mature adults has been estimated as 6000–6500. It is one of the most endangered primate species of India and Bhutan.

Endangered

In 2019, Assam launched a project under the MGNREGA to plant guava, mango, blackberry and other fruit trees to ensure that the resident golden langurs of the Kakoijana reserved forest do not have to risk their lives to find food.

Conservation