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Long-term monitoring of the endangered lion-tailed macaque (LTM) successful the Valparai plateau has recovered the shy primate of the rainforests forming unusually ample groups successful non-protected areas, according to a precocious published study.
One of the 5 groups of LTMs astatine Puthuthottam, which is located wrong backstage plantation areas adjacent Valparai town, was recovered to person 117 individuals, whereas the mean radical size of the primate crossed protected areas successful the Western Ghats is little than 20. A 2nd radical astatine Puthuthottam had 51 LTMs. Another colonisation successful a backstage property astatine Korangumudi was recovered to person 78 individuals.
Puthuthottam, Pannimedu, Korangumudi and Tata Coffee were the backstage plantation areas (non-protected areas) that were among the 10 fragmented areas surveyed for the study. As galore arsenic 34 individuals recorded successful a radical astatine Panathiar-1 was the highest among the groups successful protected areas surveyed arsenic per the study: Differential demographic responses of lion-tailed macaques to situation fragmentation: Four decades of colonisation monitoring successful the Anamalai Hills, Western Ghats and perspectives for absorption and conservation.
The full colonisation of LTMs successful the Valparai plateau, which falls nether the Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR), was estimated to beryllium astir 800 successful 37 groups arsenic per the survey that was conducted betwixt February 2021 and August 2024. Out of the 37 groups recorded crossed the 10 rainforest fragments, 5 were successful Puthuthottam and 1 each successful Tata Coffee, Korangumudi and Pannimedu. The remaining 29 groups were recorded successful the fragments wrong protected areas specified arsenic the Varagaliyar complex, Iyerpadi - Akkamalai complex, Andiparai Shola, Hindustan Shola, Sankaranakudi Shola and Waterfall Shola.
As per semipermanent monitoring data, a azygous radical of 17 individuals was recorded astatine Puthuthottam successful 1984, which got divided into 2 groups of 40 individuals by 1994. The 2 groups remained till 2010 with 122 individuals earlier splitting into 4 groups by 2015. The colonisation size accrued to astir 200 by 2020 and to 225 individuals successful 5 groups by 2024. The radical of 19 LTMs recorded astatine Korangumudi successful 1990 accrued to 83 by 2021. Though the groups successful TATA Coffee and Pannimedu remained astir 15 and 7 respectively for respective decades, the 2 groups showed an summation successful the radical size to 21 and 15 by 2024.
According to Honnavalli N. Kumara, Principal Scientist astatine the Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History and 1 of the authors of the study, the colonisation of LTMs successful each protected areas was comparatively unchangeable portion dependable maturation was observed successful backstage fragments similar Puthuthottam and Korangumudi.
“Now 1 radical from Puthuthottam is frequenting Valparai municipality and different radical spending a batch of clip astatine Rottikadai. People are besides seen feeding LTMs successful places similar Iyerpadi. If near unaddressed, LTMs volition get utilized to this benignant of feeding and they mightiness determination much into quality inhabited areas, affecting their behaviour and colonisation dynamics,” helium warns.
Though factors down the exponential colonisation maturation successful Puthuthottam stay unknown, depletion of quality nutrient items, availability of cultivated fruits and adaptation to quality beingness and provisioning could beryllium among the reasons, arsenic per the study, co-authored by Santanu Mahato, G. Umapathy, Mridula Singh and Mewa Singh.
