Movement of Nilgiri langur between forest fragments in the Annamalai Hills

1 Pages·1997·0.65 MB·

by  G Umapathy

MISCELLANEOUS NOTES
MOVEMENT OF NILGIRI LANGUR BETWEEN FOREST FRAGMENTS IN THE
1 .
ANNAMALAI HILLS
On 22nd December, 1994, as part of an presence it also utilized the surrounding coffee
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ongoing research programme, was observing plantations, feeding on coffee beans and Mesopsis
the activities of the Lion-tailed macaque at spp., Cardamom cultivation was abandoned after
Puthuthottem Cardamom Estate, at Valparai, logging in 1982, after which wood cutting by local
Coimbatore district. At around 1600 hours while villagershave furtherdegraded the forest. TheLion-
searching for an adult male Lion-tailed macaque tailed macaqueshave also been on the decline from
(which always spent most of the time away from 54 in 1991 to 34 at present, due to low birth rate
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the group), heard the threatening call of an from low food availability, high mortality during
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adult male Lion-tailed macaque. moved in the logging and predation by feral dogs.
direction of the call and saw the Lion-tailed After 22nd December, we started monitoring
macaque threatening and chasing away a Nilgiri the presence of the Nilgiri langur every day and
langur on aCullinea exelsa tree. We were surprised made some observation on its activities. It was very
to spot a Nilgiri langur in that area because theestate shy, restless and made loud alarm calls on seeing
workers had informed us that the last time they had us. Since26thDecember evening, we have not been
sighted a group ofNilgiri langurs was ten years ago. able to locate the Nilgiri langur in the forest
It had then comprised of 6 to 10 individuals and fragment.
subsequently been reduced to two in 1989; later they The sighting of a male Nilgiri langur in the
also had disappeared.
forest fragmentis interesting for threereasons: Firstly
In the early 1920’s the Puthuthottem forest it shows the ability ofNilgiri langur to move between
was a part of a continuous rain forest in the forest fragments across a human dominated
Annamalai Hills. This forest was under private landscape; Puthuthottem Estate is a totally isolated
ownership and the surrounding areas were clear- forest fragment the nearest forest with Nilgiri langur
felled for tea cultivation. During clear-felling this beingabout3 km away; theinterveningareaiscovered
patch of forest (60ha in area) was left with a good with tea plantation and has human settlements.
forest cover, which was under planted with Secondly, this movement by males could to a very
cardamom. Later this forest fragment had been large extent curtail the effects ofinbreeding in small
selectively felled many times, last in 1992. In 1980s fragmented forests. Thirdly, female Nilgiri langur,
intensive logging caused heavy damage to the forest also perhaps emigrate like the male, the ability to
and affected the habitat of the Nilgiri langur and move across man madelandscapesenables thespecies
Lion-tailed macaque there. Even though the trees to recolonise forest fragments from which thespecies
logged had a high timber value they were of low had disappeared.
fruit value and had affected the Nilgiri langur more
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than the Lion-tailed macaque. Moreover, the Nilgiri January 19, 1996 G. APATHY
langurs were more intensively hunted than Lion- A. PRABHAKAR
tailed macaque, during 1970’s and early 1980’s Conservation Biology Divn.,
bringing down its population, and eventually Salim Ali Centrefor Ornithology &
leading to its extinction. Lion-tailed macaques, on Natural History
;
the other hand, managed to survive since many fruit Kalampalayam PO.
trees were leftbehind. Being more adapted to human Coimbatore-641 010.