Reported by Roopak Goswami
Guwahati: In a major conservation success story, seven endangered Golden Langurs rescued from an alleged international wildlife trafficking network have been released back into the wild at Assam’s Sikhna Jwhwlao National Park.
Announcing the development, Assam Forest Minister Jayanta Mallabaruah said the primates had successfully completed rescue, rehabilitation, and scientific monitoring before being reintroduced into their natural habitat.
The return of the rare monkeys marks a remarkable turnaround for animals that were once crammed into a trafficker’s vehicle and destined for the illegal wildlife trade.
“I am happy to inform that the seven Golden Langurs have now been successfully released back into their natural habitat,” the minister said, describing the release as a significant milestone in Assam’s conservation efforts.
The langurs were among eight rescued during a dramatic late-night operation by the Special Task Force (STF) of Assam Police and Sidli Police in Chirang district earlier this year.
The crackdown dismantled an alleged cross-border wildlife trafficking racket and led to the arrest of nine suspected traffickers, including a Bangladeshi national. One of the rescued langurs, however, did not survive despite treatment.
Following months of veterinary care and behavioural assessment, the surviving primates were declared fit for release and reintroduced into Sikhna Jwhwlao National Park, a key stronghold for the species spread across Chirang and Kokrajhar districts in the Bodoland Territorial Region.
The 316-square-kilometre park, which forms part of the Manas Biosphere Reserve, is one of the last safe havens for the Golden Langur, a Schedule-I protected species and one of the world’s most endangered primates.
Calling the release a victory for conservation, Mallabaruah said it demonstrated Assam’s “zero tolerance” towards poaching and wildlife trafficking and highlighted the coordinated efforts of forest officials, wildlife experts, enforcement agencies, and local communities.
The successful return of the seven langurs to the forests of western Assam offers a rare piece of good news in the fight against wildlife crime and a second chance for one of India’s most iconic and threatened primates.