Kokrajhar, May 31: It is an identity crisis of sorts for the small golden langur population that has made a rubber plantation near this Lower Assam town their home. The nearly 100 golden langurs that roam the plantation are slowly changing colour, much to the chagrin of forest officials. Instead of their original shiny, golden fur, the animals now sport a dull, whitish appearance.
Abhijit Rabha, field director of the Manas National Park, attributes the phenomenon to a change in eating habits. The primates have been subsisting solely on leaves and nuts of the rubber tree since straying into the area from the Chakrachila forest reserve some years ago.
The 600-acre rubber plantation was contiguous to Chakrachila until rampant felling of trees at the reserve separated the two areas. “Humans destroyed the forest and wildlife suffered. The story of the golden langurs is a classic example,” Rabha said.
The golden langur (presbytis geei) is listed as a “rare” species in the Red Data Book of International Union for Conservation of Nature and is found only in the Himalayan foothills between the Sankosh and Manas rivers. Naturalist E.P. Gee discovered the species at Jamduar in Kokrajhar district in 1953.
Rabha said altered food habits might lead to a change in the behaviour and breeding pattern of the langurs.
The forest department is toying with the idea of shifting the primates who strayed from Chakrachila back to the reserve. “We are contemplating the feasibility of constructing a ropeway to bridge the two areas. The ropeway, complete with resting places, might enable the langurs to move back to Chakrachila,” Rabha said.