Advertisement :- Villa De Porto ~ A Private Gateaway in Langkawi

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Langkawi poachers 'a threat to leaf monkeys'

Illegal hunting rampant

 monkeys
A troop of dusky leaf monkeys perched atop tree branches in Langkawi. (Inset) a bullet-riddled carcass of a dusky leaf monkey hanging head down with its tail wrapped around a branch. MSN Langkawi pix 
 THE heart-wrenching picture tells it all. It shows the lifeless bullet-riddled body of a dusky leaf monkey (langur) hanging head down with its stiffened tail wrapped around a tree branch.
 The female primate was allegedly shot dead by local villagers at the foot of a hillside at Pantai Tengah here as it was foraging for food, with its babies in tow.

 An expatriate, who has made Langkawi his home for many years, related how he had been been hearing gunshots almost daily and finally decided to check it out one evening in late January.

 The foreigner, who wished to be known only as Mike, said he was shocked when he stumbled upon three men, one of whom was armed with a new 16-gauge shotgun, dragging two injured baby langur with tree roots tied around their neck.

 "The baby langur were screaming and the men were shocked to see me.

 "I grabbed the baby langur after they told me that the animals were pests and caused damage to their  newly-planted rubber sapplings."

 Mike said the men allowed him to take the babies which he later sent to a veterinary clinic on the island.

 One of the babies died on the same day while the second one is now being cared for by an animal lover.

 The killing of the langur, also known as "spectacled leaf monkey" for the unmistakable white patches around their eyes, has sparked concern that hunting the species, which is totally banned in Langkawi, is becoming rampant on the island.

Residents claimed to have heard gunshots  in areas like Pantai Tengah and Pantai Kok, despite a hunting  ban on the island, which has been declared  a national eco-park.

 Local conservationist Irshad Mubarak, also  known as Junglewalla, said the authorities could easily track down the culprits as there were only a handful licensed  firearms  holders on the island.

 "They are either private licence holders or Rela members so I don't see why they  cannot be tracked down.

"I hope there will be more enforcement as the fruiting season has started in Langkawi. More langur may be killed when they start raiding the fruit orchards,"  said Irshad.

 Malaysian Nature Society Langkawi chairman Eric Sinnaya said they had recently teamed up with relevant departments including the Langkawi Development Authority, the district council and the Wildlife and National Parks Department to form a conservation team.

  "By next month, the team can help identify and nab the culprits."

 Meanwhile, Kedah Wildlife and National Parks department director Rahim Ahmad  said they were investigating the allegation but had yet to detain any suspects.

 "We have stepped up surveillance and enforcement in  areas where the hunting activity is said to be taking place."

FAST FACTS — DUSKY LEAF MONKEYS
 THE dusky leaf monkey, which is also known as the spectacled langur or spectacled leaf monkey (Trachypithecus obscurus), is a species of primate found mainly in Malaysia, Myanmar and Thailand.
 IT is a shy, interesting-looking creature with large white circles around each eye,  giving these little primates the appearance of sporting eyeglasses.
 IN addition to white circles around each eye, the it also has white skin surrounding its mouth and a creamy white colour around  its stomach.
 ALTHOUGH the adult dusky leaf monkey is typically grey,  or brown in colour, the babies are born bright orange.

 DUSKY leaf monkeys typically live in troops  that have an average of 10 to 17 animals.
 DURING the day, the troop will splinter into smaller groups to forage through the trees.
 DUSKY leaf monkeys prefer to feed on young leaves, although it will also eat fruits, preferably unripe, and flowers.

 AT night, the monkeys will regroup,   and then bed down for the evening in the trees.
 PREDATORS of this species  include snakes and large birds of prey.
 HUMANS also hunt these monkeys and loss of habitat has become a problem for the dusky leaf monkey.
 CURRENTLY, these monkeys are listed as “Near Threatened”  on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List.

AL :-
At last it come out in the papers.. I've highlighted the article here & so does my friend here. 

No comments: