Why in the News?

The Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association deployed langurs at Kanpur’s Green Park Stadium to scare off rhesus monkeys during a Test match. However, using langurs to control monkey populations is both unethical and illegal under wildlife protection laws. It has been common practice to deploy Indian grey langurs (Semnopithecus entellus) to combat rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta).

Rhesus Monkeys

• Scientific Name: Macaca Mulatta
• They are medium-sized primates belonging to the family Cercopithecidae.
• They have short brown or gray coats, pink faces, distinctive long tails and are omnivorous.
• They are native to a wide range of habitats across Asia, including India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and parts of China and Afghanistan.
• They live in social groups known as troops which can consist of 20 to 100 individuals.
• International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Status: Least Concern

Rhesus Monkeys (Macaca Mulatta)

Grey Langurs

• Scientific Name: Semnopithecus Entellus
• They are medium to large-sized primates that belong to the family Cercopithecidae.
• They have long limbs and tails; their fur is usually a mixture of grey and brown with a black face and distinctive white eyebrows.
• They are primarily found in India, Nepal, Bangladesh and some parts of Sri Lanka.
• They are primarily herbivorous.
• Protection Status
  • IUCN Red List: Least Concern
  • CITES: Appendix-I
  • Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule-I

Grey Langurs (Semnopithecus Entellus)