In the misty jungles of the Western Ghats, high up in the canopy, a seldom-seen primate bounds through. A silver mane and curious face mark the lion-tailed macaque, one of India's most endangered creatures.
Where does the lion-tailed macaque live?
It is restricted to the tropical rainforests of the Western Ghats, a World Heritage Site spanning Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Avoiding open country and thickets, it thrives in dense evergreen forests that provide fruits, insects and small mammals forming much of its diet.
The lion-tailed macaque is listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Its numbers have been declining because it has lost its habitat to agriculture and increasing plantations. Forest fragmentation has driven smaller groups into fragmented patches, reducing their survival.
Why is the lion-tailed macaque special?
This primate is named after the grey mane surrounding its face, like a lion's mane. It is predominantly arboreal, passing most of its life in trees. It differs from most monkeys in that it shuns human contact and rarely comes into villages.
Conservation programmes in the Western Ghats focus on preserving forest corridors and reducing human-animal conflict. Wildlife sanctuaries such as Silent Valley National Park provide some safeguards, but more awareness is required, experts assert. The macaque is a significant forest health indicator species, and its survival is crucial to the ecosystem.
For researchers and tourists alike, a glimpse of the lion-tailed macaque is uncommon and memorable and in most people's minds, evokes the fragile balance in India's rainforests.
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