Grey langur monkeys are also called Hanuman langurs, after the Hindu monkey god Hanuman. They have sacred status, which protects them from being hunted or killed as a pest in India and neighbouring countries. These monkeys sometimes cause damage to crops, but in areas where Hindu is the prominent religion, they are merely scared away with stones and firecrackers. This may have saved them from extinction, but according to the IUCN Red List, habitat fragmentation, deforestation and other environmental disturbances caused by a growing human population have rendered them endangered.
We know very little about langurs. We don’t know how many species there are or where they live. We know even less about their behaviour, life history and the factors that limit their populations in the wild. If we don’t fill this knowledge gap, we may lose some species before we even know they exist. Knowledge and education are crucial for developing successful protective strategies. This particular grey langur was photographed at Ranthambore National Park in Rajasthan, India. The park is famous for its wild tigers and the efforts that are being made to protect both them and, importantly, their habitat (see www.ranthamborenationalpark.com/). This protection is great news for langurs. Conservationists call this the umbrella effect — the presence of one species that is targeted for conservation also benefits many other species in the same area.
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