Golden langur

In news- Neighbours of a golden langur habitat i.e., Kakoijana Reserve Forest in western Assam’s Bongaigaon district have opposed a move by the State government to upgrade it to a wildlife sanctuary.

About Golden langur-

Golden langur(Trachypithecus geei) , is an Old World monkey found in moist evergreen and tropical deciduous forests, mainly in a small region of Western Assam, and in the neighboring foothills of the Black Mountains of Bhutan.
Adult males have a cream to golden coat with darker flanks while the females and juveniles are lighter.
It has a black face and a long tail up to 50 cm in length.
It lives in high trees and has a herbivorous diet of ripe and unripe fruits, mature and young leaves, seeds, buds and flowers.
Their hair ranges from dark golden to creamy buff and their faces are black and hairless except for a long pale beard.
Its fur changes colours according to the seasons.
Habitat destruction is a major threat to them.
IUCN status – Endangered.
It is a Schedule-I species under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972.
It is also listed in Appendix I under CITES.
Chakrashila of Assam is India’s first wildlife sanctuary with golden langur as the primary species.

Kakoijana Reserve Forest-

It is located near Abhayapuri in Bongaigaon district of Assam.
The forest is famous for its golden langur.
The reserved forest was constituted in the year 1966 as reserved forest.
It falls under Aie Valley Division.

Difference between Reserve Forest & Wildlife Sanctuary-

Reserve Forest

Wildlife Sanctuary

A reserved forest are forests accorded a certain degree of protection.
The concept was introduced in the Indian Forest Act of 1927 during the British Raj.
Unlike National Parks or wildlife sanctuaries, reserved forests and protected forests are declared by the respective state governments.
Activities including hunting, grazing, etc. in reserved forests are banned unless specific orders are issued otherwise.

It is a natural area that is reserved by a governmental or private agency for the protection of particular species.
Area is designated for the protection of wild animals.
It comes under the category called “Protected Areas”.
It comes under category IV of IUCN.

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Source: The Hindu