Five primate carcasses found in Assam forest

Poachers kill them for skin and tails

The carcasses of five primates, believed to be capped langurs, were found without the skin and tails in an Assam reserve forest. A team of researchers working in the Biswanath district’s Behali Reserve Forest located the carcasses, presumably killed by poachers for their skin, bones and tails.

The 140 sq. km. reserve forest connects the Kaziranga National Park and the Nameri National Park bordering Arunachal Pradesh. “We recovered five skulls and a few bones inside the reserve forest. They are suspected to be of capped langurs, although samples will be sent to the Wildlife Institute of India to confirm the species,” Arun Vignesh, the Sonitpur East Divisional Forest Officer told The Hindu on Saturday. The Forest Department registered a case and started an investigation after recovering the carcasses. Raids have been conducted in adjoining areas as officials fear more wild animals may have been killed.

Investigation started

“This is the first such incident here and we are sending the samples for forensic testing to ascertain the cause of death. But it looks like the primates were killed after being lured and trapped,” Mr. Vignesh said.

“We are concerned about the habitat that has been targeted by poachers for long. Behali is an important bird area and an elephant reserve that needs conservation,” researcher Jaydev Mandal said.

Apart from the rare capped langur, the Behali Reserve Forest houses the endangered slow loris, the near-threatened Assamese macaque and the rhesus macaque.

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