Assam will finally know its primate count

Forest department to carry out the first census after drastic change in habitat

A monkey eats a carrot at Assam State Zoo in Guwahati. Picture by Eastern Projections Guwahati, March 5 : Two weeks from now, forest officials across Assam will arm themselves with field glasses, pens and paper and settle down for some serious “monkey business”. For the first time, the department will scour the jungles under its jurisdiction and carry out the first primate census in the state. Till now, all that the department knew about its primate wealth was that nine of the 15 primates species found in the country live in the state’s jungles. In two more weeks, it will finally know the exact numbers. What triggered the count was the rapid loss of habitat of these primates, which raised fears of a depletion in numbers. The main primates found in the state are golden langur, hoolock gibbon and stump-tailed macaque. Golden langurs found in the Bodoland Territorial Council administered areas will not be counted right now though. “We are quite rich in primate diversity but we would like to have an exact database so that we can chart a strategy for their protection,” D.M. Singh, chief conservator of forest (wildlife), Assam forest department, said. A meeting was held today to discuss the scenario and the modalities for carrying out the census. Going by the current plans, the census is likely to be held between March 17 and 21. Most of the apes live in tropical forests and are primarily arboreal. The golden langurs are usually found near Sankosh river in the west; Manas in the east; Brahmaputra in the south and the mountains of Bhutan. Pig-tailed and stumped-tailed macaques are distributed in the eastern, central and southern part of the state. Rhesus macaque, capped monkey and Assamese macaque are more or less distributed throughout the state. Wildlife expert Anwaruddin Choudhury who is also a primatologist gave a detailed account of the primate diversity in the state at the meeting. An official said direct sighting method would be employed for the census and enumerators would be appointed from the existing staff. Help would also be taken from NGOs.