Assam State Zoo golden langurs

[Chlidonias]

Female golden langur translocated to state zoo - The Times of India

GUWAHATI: A female golden langur was successfully translocated from Umananda, a Brahmaputra temple island, to the state zoo in the city on Sunday as part of the Central Zoo Authority's (CZA) conservation breeding programme for the endangered species.

"The langur has been quarantined. We need to ascertain that the animal is free of diseases before putting it with other males in the zoo," said Utpal Bora, zoo divisional forest officer. Bora added that after ten days another female golden langur will be translocated from Umananda to the zoo.

After Sunday's translocation, there are only six golden langurs left in Umananda. Among the six, five are females while one is a male. Golden langur is one of the endangered primate species found only in Bhutan and parts of western Assam.

 

[Chlidonias]

The Hindu : Sci-Tech / Energy & Environment : Assam Zoo plans to breed highly endangered golden langur

20 June 2011

A breeding centre for endangered golden langur may soon come up in the premises of the Assam Zoo.

Only a handful of golden langur (Trachypithecusgeei) are found in the Manas Tiger reserve in lower Assam and in the Umananda temple on river Brahmaputra near here.

Zoo divisional forest officer Utpal Bora said, “The project is highly ambitious and right now it is at a preliminary stage. We have submitted the initial proposals to the government to set up the breeding centre inside the zoo which is a very suitable location for their breeding.”

“This initiative has been approved by the government and a detailed report for forming an expert team and construction of an enclosure are being prepared,” Mr. Bora said.

The zoo DFO said the conservation of the endangered species will help increase its population and subsequently they can be released in the wild.

Bora said some golden langurs are already in the zoo, but most of them are males and efforts are being made to get some female langurs from Umananda for breeding.

“Already eight golden langurs, known for their majestic golden colour and a bushy tail, are in the zoo and more will be brought in soon,” Mr. Bora said.

The breeding centre would definitely come up in the future, but it would be out of access for the general public as it might hamper the breeding process, he said.

Once completed, the facility would be a big boon to researchers and if the project goes on expected lines, at least 100 langurs could be nurtured which could be then released in the wild, he said.

The central zoo authority has given consent not only to this project, but others as well including conservation breeding of one-horned rhinos, grey peacock pheasants and golden cats.

According to the International Union of Conservation of Nature, the golden langur species is found in a small area around river Manas and Sankosh rivers, bordering Bhutan, and its population, which was estimated to be nearly 2000, has declined by 30 per cent in the last three years.

The species, according to experts, was discovered by British naturalist Edward Pritchard Gee in the 1950s, but much before that the local people of the Himalayan region knew of its existence.

the Assam Zoo is the same as the Guwahati Zoo in the first article of this thread (where it is just called "the state zoo")

 

[Kifaru Bwana]

Yep, the Assam State Zoo has been given the green light for a conservation breeding programme for golden langurs.

I am not sure if they bred here in the past ... a slight inkling tells me ...

 

[Chlidonias]

there's another article here: Mate for each other: Zoo yard for rhino breeding - Times Of India

29 April 2011

Separate enclosures for onehorned rhinos at the Assam state zoo here will soon be pulled down to accommodate all the five pachyderms under one roof. This decision comes in the wake of the zoo being selected by the Central Zoo Authority for carrying out conservation breeding programmes of endangered animals like rhinos, serow, golden cat, golden langur and grey peacock pheasant. Conservation breeding is being undertaken to raise the population of these vulnerable species.

"The Central Zoo Authority has sanctioned Rs 64 lakh for rhino conservation breeding. We will prepare only one scientifically designed enclosure for the rhinos instead of four separate enclosures," said zoo divisional forest officer, Utpal Bora.

The new enclosure will be ready in the next six months, said the DFO. "The enclosure will be designed in such a way that the existing four are connected with each other. This will facilitate mating. Visitors will be able to see only two rhinos, while the rest will be kept in isolation, exclusively for breeding," Bora explained.

The zoo's conservation breeding programme has already been started with golden langurs. In February this year, a female golden langur was successfully translocated from Umananda, a temple island in Brahmaputra here to the zoo. After the translocation, the zoo's golden langur population has shot up to seven — five males and two females. Golden langurs are critically endangered primate species found only in Bhutan and parts of western Assam.

Although the golden langurs have not given birth yet, the zoo authorities have reason to be happy. A serow, another endangered species (Deo chagoli in Assamese), gave birth to a female calf last week. The zoo now has five serows (three female and two males) including the calf.

"The serow calf is doing well and looks healthy. The birth has made us very happy since this species is covered under the conservation breeding programme," said Bora.

In 2010-11, the zoo got a total of 6,06,340 visitors, including 186 foreigners, which was an increase over 5,74,194 visitors, including 138 foreigners, in 2009-10. They collected revenue to the tune of Rs 66,93,716 in 2010-11, while in 2009-10, the revenue collection was Rs 65,66,765.