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		<title>Mongabay India</title>
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		<link>https://india.mongabay.com/list/primates/</link>
		<description>India&#039;s environmental science and conservation news</description>
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					<title>Climate change shaped primate populations in northeast India</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/12/climate-change-shaped-primate-populations-in-northeast-india/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/12/climate-change-shaped-primate-populations-in-northeast-india/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>23 Dec 2025 10:58:30 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Anusha Krishnan]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[gibbon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[macaques]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[monkeys]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Northeast India]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/12/22161725/Capped_langur-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=36193</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Climate Change, Ecology, Evolution, Global Warming, Habitat Fragmentation, Habitat Loss, Himalayas, Mammals, Primates, Protected Areas, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The forests of northeast India are home to one of the richest primate groups. This region, one of the most biodiverse on the subcontinent, has 14 primate species, including the Phayre’s leaf monkey, hoolock gibbon, Bengal slow loris, and several species of macaques and langurs. What is the story behind this abundance? The answer seems [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The forests of northeast India are home to one of the richest primate groups. This region, one of the most biodiverse on the subcontinent, has 14 primate species, including the Phayre’s leaf monkey, hoolock gibbon, Bengal slow loris, and several species of macaques and langurs. What is the story behind this abundance? The answer seems to be climate change and time. A study, published in Ecology &amp; Evolution, reveals that historic climate shifts played a decisive role in how these primates evolved, dispersed, and adapted to changing forests. The work used genetic data on nine primate species along with habitat modelling to trace how past climate change drove changes in primate populations. “This diversity is a consequence of different evolutionary trajectories followed by various species. We have analysed four different genera and each has exhibited unique characteristics. This will allow us to gain a deeper appreciation for the wildlife and geography of the region and hopefully may inspire more conservation efforts,” says Mihir Trivedi, the lead author, who is currently a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Washington. The results also indicate that population sizes of all the species included in this study have steadily declined, and their habitats have shrunk. As climate change continues to sculpt habitats with shifts in warming, cooling, rainfall, and vegetation patterns, now, at an accelerated rate due to global warming, studies such as this raise important questions about species-specific responses to climate change. Tracing the population patterns of the past indicate that species-wise conservation measures&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/12/climate-change-shaped-primate-populations-in-northeast-india/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Primatologist Jane Goodall dies at 91 [Obituary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/10/primatologist-jane-goodall-dies-at-91-obituary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/10/primatologist-jane-goodall-dies-at-91-obituary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>02 Oct 2025 16:19:09 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[S. Gopikrishna Warrier]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[apes]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/10/02170322/jane-goodall-obit2-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=34882</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Global]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Mammals, Obituary, People, Primates, and Zoos]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Jane Goodall, internationally-renowned primatologist and conservationist died on October 1 in Los Angeles, USA. She was 91. Goodall earned the respect of the science and conservation community with her work. Rhett Butler, Founder and CEO of Mongabay writes in his obituary: “Over the course of six decades, she moved from an unlikely young researcher in [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Jane Goodall, internationally-renowned primatologist and conservationist died on October 1 in Los Angeles, USA. She was 91. Goodall earned the respect of the science and conservation community with her work. Rhett Butler, Founder and CEO of Mongabay writes in his obituary: “Over the course of six decades, she moved from an unlikely young researcher in the forests of East Africa to one of the most recognizable scientists and conservationists of her time. Her patient fieldwork at Gombe transformed primatology, overturning entrenched beliefs about the uniqueness of humans and forcing science to reckon with animal minds.” She was also an activist in her own way – turning her research findings and learnings into action. Butler continues: “She went on to found the Jane Goodall Institute, launch sanctuaries and community programs across Africa, and inspire millions through her Roots &amp; Shoots movement for young people. Her influence reached far beyond science: she became a United Nations Messenger of Peace, an advocate for animal welfare, and a tireless voice for conservation at a time of mounting global crisis. Yet through all of this she remained known simply as ‘Jane,’ a figure who insisted that hope was not naïve but necessary.” Jane Goodall in the 1960s. Image courtesy of CBS. “Jane Goodall&#8217;s, life was a testament to curiosity, compassion, and unwavering hope,” shares Mohan Alambeth, a retired forest official and conservationist. “In 1960, armed with little more than a notebook and binoculars, she entered the forests of Gombe and changed science forever. Her discovery&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/10/primatologist-jane-goodall-dies-at-91-obituary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Fragmented forests and food scarcity threaten capped langurs</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/09/fragmented-forests-and-food-scarcity-threaten-capped-langurs/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/09/fragmented-forests-and-food-scarcity-threaten-capped-langurs/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>25 Sep 2025 12:34:20 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Kasturi Das]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Brahmaputra Valley]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[capped langurs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[deforestation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[forests]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Habitat fragmentation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Primates]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[research]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/09/25120109/Seen-at-Bordubi-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=34774</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Assam and India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Deforestation, Forests, Habitat Fragmentation, Habitat Loss, Primates, and Research]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The capped langur (Trachypithecus pileatus), a leaf eating primate with a distinctive ‘cap-like’ hairstyle, is the second most commonly seen primate in Assam after the rhesus macaque. Once thriving in the tropical rainforests of the Upper Brahmaputra Valley, the only colobine primate (characterised by their leaf-based diet) in the region, is now in a precarious [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The capped langur (Trachypithecus pileatus), a leaf eating primate with a distinctive ‘cap-like’ hairstyle, is the second most commonly seen primate in Assam after the rhesus macaque. Once thriving in the tropical rainforests of the Upper Brahmaputra Valley, the only colobine primate (characterised by their leaf-based diet) in the region, is now in a precarious situation. The Valley was once covered by a vast lowland tropical rainforest. However, over the years, agricultural expansion, deforestation and development of tea gardens have turned this forest into scattered fragments. A new study published in the Journal of Asia-Pacific Biodiversity surveyed 40 rainforest fragments across six districts of the Upper Brahmaputra Valley between February 2019 and January 2020. Researchers found capped langurs in only 11 sites, with evidence that they had disappeared from at least seven forests where they were once recorded, a decade ago. “By comparing the surveys of the same fragments, it became clear that capped langurs have now disappeared from several of these areas,” said Narayan Sharma, an author of the study, and assistant professor at the Department of Environmental Biology and Wildlife Sciences in Cotton University, Guwahati. “This kind of longitudinal study helps us track not just numbers but also their overall occurrence and distribution over time.”  Capped langur in Bordubi. A new study surveyed 40 rainforest fragments across six districts of the Upper Brahmaputra Valley and found capped langurs in only 11 sites. Image by Neeharika Gogoi. The capped langur has reported a 30% decline in its population globally&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/09/fragmented-forests-and-food-scarcity-threaten-capped-langurs/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Mewa Singh on chasing monkeys for over half a century [Interview]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/08/mewa-singh-on-chasing-monkeys-for-over-half-a-century-interview/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/08/mewa-singh-on-chasing-monkeys-for-over-half-a-century-interview/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>18 Aug 2025 13:18:16 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Arathi Menon]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ethology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[langurs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lion-tailed macaque]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/08/18101006/Gray_langurs_jumping_on_trees_Bhimashankar_wildlife_sanctuary_Pune_India_1_20-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=34161</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animal Behaviour, Biodiversity, Eastern Ghats, Interviews, Mammals, Monkeys, Primates, and Western Ghats]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The field of primatology is no monkey business. Primates are complex, social animals with highly adaptable behaviour that changes with habitats. Mewa Singh, a life-long distinguished professor of ecology and animal behaviour at the University of Mysore’s Biopsychology Department has been studying primate behaviour in their natural settings for over half a century, spanning diverse [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The field of primatology is no monkey business. Primates are complex, social animals with highly adaptable behaviour that changes with habitats. Mewa Singh, a life-long distinguished professor of ecology and animal behaviour at the University of Mysore’s Biopsychology Department has been studying primate behaviour in their natural settings for over half a century, spanning diverse regions including the Himalayas, the Western Ghats, the Eastern Ghats, and the Nicobar Islands. Having authored over 200 research articles and co-authored the book Macaque Societies: A Model for the Study of Social Organisation, his research has a strong focus on species such as the lion-tailed macaque, Nicobar long-tailed macaque, bonnet macaque, langur and slender loris. Singh’s remarkable trajectory — from studying psychology to becoming a globally renowned wildlife biologist — is a testimony in interdisciplinary passion and scholarly dedication. Mongabay: You’re a wildlife biologist and an ethologist. What’s ethology and its relevance in species studies? Mewa Singh (MS): Ethology is the scientific study of animal behaviour in their natural settings. While most research in animal behaviour has happened in laboratories, ethologists work in the field, observing animals where they live. The discipline began with research on insects, and many ethology conferences are still dominated by studies on insects and birds. Mammals are less represented, though my work focuses mainly on them. Mewa Singh is a professor of ecology and animal behaviour at the University of Mysore, and has been studying the behaviour of primates like the Nicobar long-tailed macaque (right) for over 50 years.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/08/mewa-singh-on-chasing-monkeys-for-over-half-a-century-interview/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Studies gain pace while the identity of Kashmir’s langurs remains gray</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/12/studies-gain-pace-while-the-identity-of-kashmirs-langurs-remains-gray/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/12/studies-gain-pace-while-the-identity-of-kashmirs-langurs-remains-gray/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>13 Dec 2024 14:48:33 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Arathi Menon]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Endangered species]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[endemic species]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Habitat fragmentation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[habitat loss]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Primates]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[research]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2024/12/12204058/IMG_4574-scaled-e1734016839267-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=30682</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Jammu and Kashmir]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Endangered species, Endemic species, Habitat Fragmentation, Habitat Loss, Primates, and Research]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The Kashmir gray langur is dealing with an identity crisis as Indian primate scientists are still looking for clear answers to looming questions — Is it truly a distinct species? How does it differ from the Himalayan langur that it is often confused with? Given the ongoing uncertainty about the taxonomy of the species, the [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The Kashmir gray langur is dealing with an identity crisis as Indian primate scientists are still looking for clear answers to looming questions — Is it truly a distinct species? How does it differ from the Himalayan langur that it is often confused with? Given the ongoing uncertainty about the taxonomy of the species, the latest population estimate and the genetic study on the Kashmir gray langur (Semnopithecus ajax), that is endemic to the northwestern Himalayas, take on added significance. “Ambiguity around the taxonomy of this species has always existed. However, we disagree with the conclusion by Arekar et al., who suggest that the Kashmir gray langur is the same as the Himalayan langur. Their study relied on a single, small fragment of mitochondrial DNA, which isn’t sufficient to determine the taxonomy of a species,” explains Tawqir Bashir, an assistant professor at the Centre of Research for Development, University of Kashmir. Bashir co-authored recent papers on the population and genetic diversity of the Kashmir gray langur, published in 2024. Lead author of the papers, Shahid Hameed informs Mongabay India that the lack of understanding surrounding the species prompted him to take up the study. “The langur was first reported by Walter (Roper) Lawrence in his book Valley of Kashmir published in 1895. Even after a century, we don’t have enough data on the species,” he says. Its endemicity to the northwestern Himalayas and its endangered status assigned by the IUCN further encouraged him to turn the lens on the species.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2024/12/studies-gain-pace-while-the-identity-of-kashmirs-langurs-remains-gray/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>Lion-tailed macaques navigate twin hurdles</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/12/lion-tailed-macaques-navigate-twin-hurdles/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/12/lion-tailed-macaques-navigate-twin-hurdles/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>11 Dec 2024 14:01:15 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Arathi Menon]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[adaptation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[habitat loss]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lion-tailed macaque]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[population]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2024/12/10134712/DSCN7043-1-scaled-e1733819136361-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=30639</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Western Ghats]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Endangered species, Habitat Fragmentation, Habitat Loss, Human Wildlife Conflict, and Primates]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Altruism is a much-debated topic in biological studies, and the prevailing conclusion is that almost all forms of altruism are reciprocal. “So, you&#8217;re either helping your kin, or you&#8217;re helping a friend who could potentially help you in the future,” says wildlife biologist Ashni Kumar Dhawale. However, when Dhawale witnessed what seemed to be selfless [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
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							<![CDATA[Altruism is a much-debated topic in biological studies, and the prevailing conclusion is that almost all forms of altruism are reciprocal. “So, you&#8217;re either helping your kin, or you&#8217;re helping a friend who could potentially help you in the future,” says wildlife biologist Ashni Kumar Dhawale. However, when Dhawale witnessed what seemed to be selfless altruism in the form of alloparenting or allomothering — where a non-related individual provides childcare — among the endangered lion-tailed macaques (Macaca silenus) in Puthuthottam in Tamil Nadu’s Valparai, it became the most incredible experience of her study. Recounting the experience, Dhawale explains that she studied two mothers with surviving twins and their caretaking behaviour until the offspring turned one. This study was significant for two reasons: first, twins are an extremely rare occurrence among primates, especially lion-tailed macaques; second, the first year of an infant&#8217;s life is crucial for its survival, with mothers often investing heavily in their care until they pass this developmental milestone. Alloparenting has not been observed in the species until now. “They have a long inter-birth interval of three years, so mothers are heavily invested in their infants,” says Dhawale. “This is evident in the way they care for them — they carry the infant and lactate for a year, which is not a common behaviour in mammals of that size, and not even among other primates.” One of the two lion-tailed macaque mothers with her twins. As a sign of adaptability to human pressure on their natural habitat, the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2024/12/lion-tailed-macaques-navigate-twin-hurdles/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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					<title>Unlocking the secrets of the grooving gibbons</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/11/unlocking-the-secrets-of-the-grooving-gibbons/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/11/unlocking-the-secrets-of-the-grooving-gibbons/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>26 Nov 2024 10:47:09 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Carolyn Cowan]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Animal behaviour]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[conservation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[gibbon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[primate]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2024/11/26103144/8946402858_cf411e83a5_k-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=30384</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia and Global]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animal Behaviour, Animals, and Primates]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Gibbons are famed for their graceful agility high in the forest canopy. Swinging effortlessly from branch to branch, their bodies spilling through the trees, the small apes seem to defy the basic laws of gravity. But it turns out their beauty in motion doesn’t stop there: They also perform captivating dances, according to the findings [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Gibbons are famed for their graceful agility high in the forest canopy. Swinging effortlessly from branch to branch, their bodies spilling through the trees, the small apes seem to defy the basic laws of gravity. But it turns out their beauty in motion doesn’t stop there: They also perform captivating dances, according to the findings of a new study. It documents the dance routines of four species of crested gibbons native to the dense but rapidly diminishing forests of mainland Southeast Asia. The researchers say the movements aren’t random gyrations. Rather, the gibbons are using their rhythmic vogueing routines of up to two minutes at a time as a visual communication tool. Biologists have long known that female crested gibbons perform sequences of peculiar and sudden rump, arm and leg twitches, both in captive settings as well as in the wild. A 2016 study, for instance, likened the dance of wild eastern black-crested gibbons (Nomascus nasutus) to the timeless human “robot dance.” However, the structure and circumstances surrounding the gibbon’s dance have remained largely shrouded in mystery. A northern white-cheeked gibbon at Mulhouse Zoo (left) and a female yellow-cheeked gibbon with young at Amsterdam Zoo (right). Images courtesy of Miriam Lindenmeier (l) and HHU/Kai R. Caspar (r). To unlock the secrets of the gibbon bop, Camille Coye, a postdoctoral researcher at the Jean Nicod Institute in France, and her colleagues from Germany and Norway meticulously scrutinized 37 videos of female crested gibbons kept in captivity at zoos and rescue centers&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2024/11/unlocking-the-secrets-of-the-grooving-gibbons/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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					<title>Unique primate habitat in Indonesia under threat from palm oil plantations</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2020/10/unique-primate-habitat-in-indonesia-under-threat-from-palm-oil-plantations/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2020/10/unique-primate-habitat-in-indonesia-under-threat-from-palm-oil-plantations/?noamp=mobile#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>26 Oct 2020 14:53:18 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Hans Nicholas Jong]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2020/10/25231146/12321573_1090009977725665_2501324480392081179_n-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=11974</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Connected Environments]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Deforestation, Habitat Loss, Oil, and Primates]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The island of Sulawesi in Indonesia that’s home to a unique array of primates found nowhere else on Earth is at the risk of disappearing due to rapid deforestation, a new study warns. Sulawesi, for a long time, managed to avoid the industrial-scale deforestation that was seen on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo for [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The island of Sulawesi in Indonesia that’s home to a unique array of primates found nowhere else on Earth is at the risk of disappearing due to rapid deforestation, a new study warns. Sulawesi, for a long time, managed to avoid the industrial-scale deforestation that was seen on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo for oil palm plantations and coal mines. But as land and resources are depleted in western Indonesia, developers are turning increasingly to the relatively untouched islands of the country’s east, including Sulawesi and Papua. Sulawesi lies in the Wallacea biogeographical region, where the native fauna are distinct from the better-known wildlife — such as orangutans, rhinos and tigers — found in the western half of Indonesia. While the latter region was once part of the Southeast Asian landmass when sea levels were lower, thus sharing much of the same biodiversity, Sulawesi has always been isolated from the mainland, which has allowed the wildlife there to evolve in unique and striking ways. It’s a haven in particular for primates: all 17 species of macaques (Macaca spp.) and tarsiers (Tarsius spp.) found there are endemic to the island. But these evolutionary marvels are under threat from the accelerating loss of their pristine habitat. “Although not yet as severe or dramatic as deforestation rates in Sumatra, drivers of deforestation in Sulawesi are increasing in intensity,” a group of researchers from Indonesia and Australia wrote in a recent paper. Published in the journal Global Ecology and Conservation, the study notes&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2020/10/unique-primate-habitat-in-indonesia-under-threat-from-palm-oil-plantations/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2020/10/unique-primate-habitat-in-indonesia-under-threat-from-palm-oil-plantations/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Lion-tailed and bonnet macaques need different conservation plans, says expert</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2020/02/different-monkeys-different-plans-a-primatologist-speaks-on-conservation-measures-for-lion-tailed-and-bonnet-macaques/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2020/02/different-monkeys-different-plans-a-primatologist-speaks-on-conservation-measures-for-lion-tailed-and-bonnet-macaques/?noamp=mobile#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>06 Feb 2020 12:17:42 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Bhanu Sridharan]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Sandhya Sekar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2020/02/05135808/Photo-5-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=8526</guid>

					
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animal Behaviour, Animals, Conservation, Monkeys, and Primates]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In the popular Aesop fable about a country mouse and its city mouse, the country mouse arrives at the city wanting to see for itself all the abundance and variety of food that living in proximity with humans afforded its city cousin. When their meal is interrupted by a pack of dogs, the country mouse [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In the popular Aesop fable about a country mouse and its city mouse, the country mouse arrives at the city wanting to see for itself all the abundance and variety of food that living in proximity with humans afforded its city cousin. When their meal is interrupted by a pack of dogs, the country mouse packs its bags and tells its cousin: &#8220;Goodbye. You do, indeed, live in a plentiful city, but I am going home where I can enjoy my dinner in peace.&#8221; Lion-tailed macaques (LTM) and Bonnet macaques, monkey species from southern India, may relate to this tale. Although closely related, these two monkey species have vastly different behaviours and needs. LTMs are arboreal monkeys, endemic to the wet evergreen rainforests of the Western Ghats. With rainforests disappearing, LTMs have been increasingly losing habitat. The species is today considered threatened by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature). Less than 1000 individuals survive in the wild. In contrast, the Bonnet macaque is also endemic but to the entire south Indian region below the Tapti and Godavari river. Although primarily fruit eaters like the LTMs, these monkeys can survive in a range of habitats and seem to thrive around human habitation, especially close to temples, fields and roadsides. Ecologists estimate that around 30000 individuals survive in the wild and the IUCN considers them to be of least concern. There is much conservationists can learn from their different life histories according to Mewa Singh, a primatologist and behavioural ecologist&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2020/02/different-monkeys-different-plans-a-primatologist-speaks-on-conservation-measures-for-lion-tailed-and-bonnet-macaques/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2020/02/different-monkeys-different-plans-a-primatologist-speaks-on-conservation-measures-for-lion-tailed-and-bonnet-macaques/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
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					<title>[Analysis] The world&#8217;s primates face extinction, fuelled by global consumer demands</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2020/01/analysis-the-worlds-primates-face-extinction-fuelled-by-global-consumer-demands/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2020/01/analysis-the-worlds-primates-face-extinction-fuelled-by-global-consumer-demands/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>14 Jan 2020 11:56:54 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Alejandro EstradaPaul A. Garber]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Sandhya Sekar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2020/01/11150756/sabah_sepilok_0453-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=8220</guid>

					
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Animals, Conservation, Deforestation, Extinction, Forests, and Primates]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[A ceaselessly growing human population and an ever-expanding world economy based on the unsustainable demands of a few over-consuming nations, have already caused habitat degradation, forest fragmentation, and forest loss that are unprecedented in human history. Throughout the tropics, large tracts of forest have been converted to monocultures by industrial agriculture and degraded by the [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[A ceaselessly growing human population and an ever-expanding world economy based on the unsustainable demands of a few over-consuming nations, have already caused habitat degradation, forest fragmentation, and forest loss that are unprecedented in human history. Throughout the tropics, large tracts of forest have been converted to monocultures by industrial agriculture and degraded by the extraction of fossil fuels, metals, minerals, and other natural resources. This has resulted in significant declines in biodiversity. A recent report by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) indicates that one million animal and plant species worldwide are now threatened with extinction. Ecosystem damage and the extremes of global climate change have been most severe in tropical regions. Global Forest Watch reports that approximately 180 million hectares of tropical forest, an area roughly equivalent to the combined size of Spain, France, Germany, and the UK, was lost between 2001 and 2017. This has resulted in significant declines in wildlife populations, a reduction in animal and plant genetic diversity, the isolation of subpopulations, a decreased capacity for carbon sequestration, and local extinctions. Here, we discuss how the global trade in forest-risk commodities has severely harmed tropical ecosystem health, the survival of nonhuman primates (our closest living biological relatives: prosimians, tarsiers, monkeys, and apes), and people living in tropical communities. Primates represent the third most species-rich mammalian radiation after bats and rodents. There are some 512 species of nonhuman primates distributed in 91 countries, principally in the tropical and subtropical forests of Latin&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2020/01/analysis-the-worlds-primates-face-extinction-fuelled-by-global-consumer-demands/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2020/01/analysis-the-worlds-primates-face-extinction-fuelled-by-global-consumer-demands/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>A dose of eco-optimism: Stories of hope and inspiration in 2019</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2019/12/stories-of-hope-and-inspiration-in-2019-good-news-environment/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2019/12/stories-of-hope-and-inspiration-in-2019-good-news-environment/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>31 Dec 2019 12:12:11 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2019/12/31011509/cloud-silver-lining-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=8066</guid>

					
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Animals, Climate Change, Community based conservation, Environment, Environmental Heroes, Mammals, Mangroves, Positive Environmental, Primates, Technology and Conservation, and Wetlands]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Don&#8217;t lose hope. This is probably not the cliché you want to hear after what the past year has been like. Extreme weather events, wildfires, water crises, rampant deforestation, record levels of air pollution, thousands of species heading to extinction and most recently, the failed climate conference – 2019 has seen it all. However, over [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Don&#8217;t lose hope. This is probably not the cliché you want to hear after what the past year has been like. Extreme weather events, wildfires, water crises, rampant deforestation, record levels of air pollution, thousands of species heading to extinction and most recently, the failed climate conference – 2019 has seen it all. However, over the 500 plus stories we’ve done in 2019, we’ve found that there still remains a reason to stay positive. All across the country, there are groups and individuals, working in their own small and big ways, towards conservation and environmental protection. Their stories are proof that there is still hope for our planet, its people and the myriad species we share it with. The past year saw the rise of youth making a strong case for protecting the planet. With Greta Thunberg becoming the face of youth activism for climate action, the involvement of young people in the global climate narrative became more pronounced. The youngest member of our team, Kartik Chandramouli, headed to the UN climate conference in Madrid where he found that youth participation has witnessed a rise and young people world over are demanding further inclusion in decision-making. Back in India, we interviewed 11-year-old Ridhima Pandey on her efforts to hold governments accountable for inaction on climate change. We met with a young woman farmer in Uttarakhand who’s experimenting with agricultural technology to become a change agent. Despite the cynicism towards the government, in many cases, state and local administrations stepped up with actions&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2019/12/stories-of-hope-and-inspiration-in-2019-good-news-environment/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2019/12/stories-of-hope-and-inspiration-in-2019-good-news-environment/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Vanishing forests drive lion-tailed macaques to search for food in people’s homes</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2019/09/vanishing-forests-drive-lion-tailed-macaques-to-search-for-food-in-peoples-homes/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2019/09/vanishing-forests-drive-lion-tailed-macaques-to-search-for-food-in-peoples-homes/?noamp=mobile#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>24 Sep 2019 12:10:18 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Bhanu Sridharan]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Sandhya Sekar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2019/09/23155444/Photo-3-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=6879</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Tamil Nadu]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animal Behaviour, Animals, Habitat Fragmentation, Human Wildlife Conflict, Primates, and Protected Areas]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[When forests are broken up by human activities, the impact on wildlife is manifold. Many species lose their habitat, sources of food and are forced to navigate increasingly risky landscapes like busy roads, agricultural fields and human habitation. Lion-tailed macaques in the Valparai plateau in the Anamalai Hills in the Western Ghats face all these [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[When forests are broken up by human activities, the impact on wildlife is manifold. Many species lose their habitat, sources of food and are forced to navigate increasingly risky landscapes like busy roads, agricultural fields and human habitation. Lion-tailed macaques in the Valparai plateau in the Anamalai Hills in the Western Ghats face all these issues. But their attempts to adapt to their changing landscape is forcing these once shy, elusive animals into increasing contact with human beings. The result, according to researchers, is a new conflict situation in the plateau. Several species of primates interact with humans across the planet. With shrinking forests, primates like bonnet macaques often learn to beg for food or raid human settlements. Rhesus macaques occupy public spaces like temples, old monuments and gardens. These monkeys learn to survive on human food supplies by raiding kitchens, rummage through garbage or subsist on food handed out by people around their original habitats. But where bonnet and rhesus macaques are widely distributed &#8212; and highly adaptable &#8212; lion-tailed macaques (LTMs) are a little different. LTMs are an endemic species that are found only in small pockets of the rainforests of the Western Ghats. Studies report that there are currently between 3000 to 4000 individuals left in the wild, including small populations in the Kudremukh and Sharavathi Wildlife Sanctuary in Karnataka, the Anamalai Tiger Reserve and Megamalai Wildlife Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu and the Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary and Silent Valley National Park in Kerala. Map shows how LTM&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2019/09/vanishing-forests-drive-lion-tailed-macaques-to-search-for-food-in-peoples-homes/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Communities join hands to keep alive the hoolock gibbon&#8217;s song</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2019/06/communities-join-hands-to-keep-alive-the-hoolock-gibbons-song/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2019/06/communities-join-hands-to-keep-alive-the-hoolock-gibbons-song/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>07 Jun 2019 14:53:37 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Bikash Kumar Bhattacharya]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Sandhya Sekar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2019/06/06153439/SaurabhSawant_MG_37701-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=5514</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Assam and Meghalaya]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animal Behaviour, Animals, Community based conservation, Conservation, Deforestation, Forests, Habitat Fragmentation, and Primates]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The call of the western hoolock gibbon, a series of whoops, hoots and tones that rise in a crescendo, is background music in the villages of Meghalaya. Mornings begin with this call — hooleng jingrwai — in Phlangwanbroi, a Khasi tribal village, perched atop a rain-soaked plateau, abutting a community forest, where the gibbons dwell. The [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The call of the western hoolock gibbon, a series of whoops, hoots and tones that rise in a crescendo, is background music in the villages of Meghalaya. Mornings begin with this call — hooleng jingrwai — in Phlangwanbroi, a Khasi tribal village, perched atop a rain-soaked plateau, abutting a community forest, where the gibbons dwell. The Khasis are a hill-dwelling indigenous minority numbering about 1.2 million. Most Khasis in rural Meghalaya continue to practice their traditional lifestyle, relying for the most part on subsistence agriculture and forest resources. Phlangwanbroi, four neighbouring villages and an adjoining community forest make up the Khasi native state of Hima Malai Sohmat, one of 25 such traditionally ruled Khasi enclaves in Meghalaya that are formally recognised by the Indian Constitution. The 40-square-kilometre community forest of Hima Malai Sohmat has been home to western hoolock gibbons (Hoolock hoolock) since &#8220;time immemorial&#8221;, villagers say. But ever-increasing human pressure is gnawing away at the forest, endangering the hooleng, as the species is called in the local Khasi language. The western hoolock gibbon is threatened globally, too. Conservationists say the future of the IUCN-listed endangered species is very much in jeopardy. An estimated 90 percent of its population has been lost over the past 30 years due to deforestation, hunting, and government neglect. Around 3,000 western hoolock gibbons are believed to remain, some 2,600 of them in northeastern India and the rest scattered in Bangladesh, Myanmar and perhaps southern Tibet. “Today hoolock gibbons are facing existential threat primarily due to&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2019/06/communities-join-hands-to-keep-alive-the-hoolock-gibbons-song/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2019/06/communities-join-hands-to-keep-alive-the-hoolock-gibbons-song/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Novel ‘begging’ behaviour observed in bonnet macaques at Bandipur</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2018/05/novel-begging-behaviour-observed-in-bonnet-macaques-at-bandipur/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2018/05/novel-begging-behaviour-observed-in-bonnet-macaques-at-bandipur/?noamp=mobile#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>10 May 2018 10:43:38 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sandhya Sekar]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Sandhya Sekar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2018/05/09175158/Novel-Hand-Extension-Gesture-2-Credit-Shreejata-Gupta-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=1053</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Karnataka]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animal Behaviour, Animals, Forests, Human Wildlife Conflict, Monkeys, National Parks, Primates, and Protected Areas]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The visitor information centre at Bandipur Tiger Reserve is often a stage for a lot of monkey-human drama, with two troupes of bonnet macaques jostling with thronging tourists. Adult monkeys take centre stage, using a direct approach to get at food — they simply scare humans into giving up their food. Younger monkeys on the [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The visitor information centre at Bandipur Tiger Reserve is often a stage for a lot of monkey-human drama, with two troupes of bonnet macaques jostling with thronging tourists. Adult monkeys take centre stage, using a direct approach to get at food — they simply scare humans into giving up their food. Younger monkeys on the sidelines take a different approach. They try to make eye contact with a human carrying food, and when their eyes meet, the monkey extends its hand, palm up, as if to receive food. This food requesting behaviour is sometimes punctuated with a soft coo call, and if needed the monkey orients its body to remain in the human’s field of vision, to draw attention to itself. “The hand-extension gesture is a completely novel gesture for wild monkeys. Certain macaque individuals have been seen to show this gesture towards human caregivers [in captivity] but it has never before been seen in a wild monkey and used in a natural context,” said Anindya Sinha, professor at the National Institute of Advanced Studies and senior author of the study reporting the behaviour. “In that sense, it is definitely a new gesture.” The novel hand extension gesture shown by bonnet macaques at Bandipur. Photo by Adwait Deshpande. Over a period of four months, Adwait Deshpande and Shreejata Gupta from Sinha’s research group watched the two troops of bonnet macaques (Macaca radiata) that reside at the reception area in Bandipur National Park. Focussing on the larger, more dominant troop, which&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2018/05/novel-begging-behaviour-observed-in-bonnet-macaques-at-bandipur/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
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					<title>The 2016 ‘monkey fever’ outbreak was not the first in Maharashtra</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2018/03/the-2016-monkey-fever-outbreak-was-not-the-first-in-maharashtra/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2018/03/the-2016-monkey-fever-outbreak-was-not-the-first-in-maharashtra/?noamp=mobile#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>02 Mar 2018 07:21:26 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Richa Malhotra]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[S. Gopikrishna Warrier]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2018/03/02065407/Pic-21-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=584</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Environment And Health]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Forests, Monkeys, People, Primates, and Villages]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Kyasanur forest disease (KFD) is a tick-borne illness that was once restricted to the southern Indian state of Karnataka. It was first detected in the 1950s from Karnataka’s Shivamogga district, in the forest of Kyasanur, after which it is named. Back then the local community, noticing that monkeys were dying and making humans sick (whoever [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Kyasanur forest disease (KFD) is a tick-borne illness that was once restricted to the southern Indian state of Karnataka. It was first detected in the 1950s from Karnataka’s Shivamogga district, in the forest of Kyasanur, after which it is named. Back then the local community, noticing that monkeys were dying and making humans sick (whoever came in close contact with the sick monkeys), dubbed it the ‘monkey fever.’ But monkeys themselves, like humans, are hosts; the actual causative agent of KFD is a virus carried by ticks. KFD rears its ugly head post-monsoon when young ticks, called nymphs, actively look for warm-blooded animals to attach to and feed on. With the bite of an infected tick, the virus gets into the bloodstream of humans, causing fevers, headaches, bleeding and, in some cases, death. Over the past decade, KFD has been reported from the states of Maharashtra, Goa, Kerala and Tamil Nadu – outside its original range in Karnataka. In Maharashtra, it was first documented in 2016. Now, a team of researchers from the National Institute of Virology, Pune, have investigated the 2016 KFD outbreak in Maharashtra and found that it may not have been the first episode of KFD for the state. Bonnet monkey. Photo by Raju Kasambe / Wikimedia Commons. First, the researchers estimated the KFD prevalence in Dodamarg cluster of villages at Sindhudurg district in Maharashtra. Using data from house-to-house surveys conducted by health workers and patient records from hospitals in the district, they shortlisted 488 individuals whose&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2018/03/the-2016-monkey-fever-outbreak-was-not-the-first-in-maharashtra/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2018/03/the-2016-monkey-fever-outbreak-was-not-the-first-in-maharashtra/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Silent Valley: A controversy that focused global attention on a rainforest 40 years ago</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2018/02/silent-valley-a-controversy-that-focused-global-attention-on-a-rainforest-40-years-ago/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2018/02/silent-valley-a-controversy-that-focused-global-attention-on-a-rainforest-40-years-ago/?noamp=mobile#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>01 Feb 2018 08:51:15 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[S. Gopikrishna Warrier]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[S. Gopikrishna Warrier]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2018/01/29172725/Pic-11-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=411</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Kerala and Western Ghats]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Drought, Endangered species, Environment, Environmental Heroes, Environmental Politics, Forests, Habitat Loss, Hydroelectric power, National Parks, Primates, Rainforests, Rivers, and Tigers]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
											<grant>
							<![CDATA[KFD2017]]>
						</grant>
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Citizens of Kerala, the state that welcomes the southwest monsoon into the Indian peninsula, are not as confident in the recent years of the water flow in their rivers. Their memories of unreliable rainfall are fresh from 2016, when both the southwest and northeast monsoon failed, resulting in a severely dry 2017 summer. It was [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Citizens of Kerala, the state that welcomes the southwest monsoon into the Indian peninsula, are not as confident in the recent years of the water flow in their rivers. Their memories of unreliable rainfall are fresh from 2016, when both the southwest and northeast monsoon failed, resulting in a severely dry 2017 summer. It was then that Bharatapuzha – the river that drains the Palghat Gap in the Western Ghats – was bone dry. Flowing close by to Bharatapuzha is Thootha river, also known as Kunthi river, which never dried completely even in this worst period. Closer to the delta, Kunthi joins Bharatapuzha, giving the river some flow in its final stretch. There are two reasons why the Kunthi river flows all through the year, even during the worst summers. One, it emerges from one of the richest and most biologically diverse tropical rain forests of the Silent Valley. Two, it has no dam obstructing its pathway. The Kunthi river as it flows through the valley. Photo by S. Gopikrishna Warrier. There was to have been a dam that would have submerged and fragmented the rainforests of the Silent Valley. Forty years ago, in 1978, Prime Minister Morarji Desai, had given conditional clearance for the construction of a dam. Strong people’s movement, supported with science, could succeed in getting the subsequent national government to conserve the forest. Silent Valley was declared as a national park in 1984 by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, and inaugurated in 1985 by Prime Minister Rajiv&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2018/02/silent-valley-a-controversy-that-focused-global-attention-on-a-rainforest-40-years-ago/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>5</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>[VIDEO] These coconut-eating macaques love to floss their teeth</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2017/12/these-coconut-eating-macaques-love-to-floss-their-teeth/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2017/12/these-coconut-eating-macaques-love-to-floss-their-teeth/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>21 Dec 2017 11:22:41 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Manupriya]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Sandhya Sekar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[animal]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[primate]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rhesus macaque]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wild animals]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2017/12/20201329/Header-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=214</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Andaman and Nicobar Islands]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animal Behaviour, Animals, Oceans, and Primates]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[When a Nicobar long-tailed macaque feels hungry, it looks for the most easily available food in its vicinity – a coconut – and handles it dexterously to get the white meat from inside. They de-husk using hand and teeth. When the inner brown shell becomes sufficiently exposed, they pound it on a hard surface until [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[When a Nicobar long-tailed macaque feels hungry, it looks for the most easily available food in its vicinity – a coconut – and handles it dexterously to get the white meat from inside. They de-husk using hand and teeth. When the inner brown shell becomes sufficiently exposed, they pound it on a hard surface until the outer shell cracks open and take out the white meat. Once hunger is taken care of, the macaques don’t rest. After all, there is a pressing need for oral hygiene. These long-tailed macaques from Nicobar floss their teeth after eating. They use a twig, a thin metal wire, a piece of coir or even a sharp grass blade as dental floss. NLT macaques use multiple foraging techniques. Video edited by Eddie Roqueta / Mongabay, from footage shot by the research team. Teeth flossing in Macaques are rare. Only two other types of macaques across the globe, the Japanese macaques and the Thai long-tailed macaques, are known to do it. Indian macaques have never been seen doing it before. It is the same story with the macaque’s ability to pry open a coconut. Very few macaques, such as some populations of rhesus macaques and some Balinese macaques are known to eat coconut. Even the pigtail macaques (also called coconut harvesters), who on the bidding of their owners climb a tree to pluck a coconut and give it to their owners, are never inspired to crack the nut open and eat it. This foraging-related behaviour is&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2017/12/these-coconut-eating-macaques-love-to-floss-their-teeth/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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