Capped langur  (Trachypithecus pileatus)

The threats to the capped langur are extensive and can be in large part attributed to the rapid development of its range countries. Perhaps the most serious threat – the one that results in the most quantifiable deaths – is hunting for meat, as well as for traditional “medicine” and for sport. The meat, including that on the tail, is eaten, the skin used for knife sheaths, and the fur for clothing. In common with many primate species in Asia, threats also include habitat loss and fragmentation brought about by clearance for crops and plantations, grazing, human settlements, roads, dams and power lines as well as logging for timber, firewood and charcoal production (7).

Capped langurs are caught as pets and for zoos, although they are almost never found in zoos outside of Asia (2) (7). Whilst holding individuals captive can be of high value for breeding programmes, the majority of capped langurs in zoos in Asia are either held singly or in same sex groups with no transfers for breeding (7).

The conservation of the capped langur is not an easy task, with such varied threats facing it. Education of the public to reduce hunting and the demand for the meat and “medicinal” products derived from this species may be the key to its survival, but equally, the rate of habitat loss in many areas of Asia has the potential to be devastating and irreversible if not slowed now. T. p. brahma is not found in any protected areas, T. p. durga is found in several national parks and wildlife sanctuaries in Bangladesh, T. p. pileatus is found in three national parks and one wildlife sanctuary in India, and T. p. tenebricus is found in the Royal Manas National Park in Bhutan as well as two national parks and two wildlife sanctuaries in India (7). The species as a whole is found in at least 22 protected areas (2).