Following reports of endangered Popa langurs being purchased for breeding purposes, Ko Tin Ko Min of Maha Giri Group, involved in tourism and environmental conservation, emphasizes the need to enhance conservation efforts for these monkey species.
Popa langur, a species of monkey found only in Myanmar, has a population of only about 300 in Mount Popa, Hpa-an, Bago Yoma, Panlaung and Ywangan.
“We heard that some people are buying monkeys in Popa garden. However, it is not confirmed, but it is a tip-off that there was an offer of K30,000-K40,000 for one monkey. So, we will encourage conservation and discourage breeding. If they want to buy to breed, they will only buy babies. To get a baby monkey, they will have to kill the mother monkey because she always carries the baby in her bosom. When she feeds, the male monkey or another female monkey takes care of it. We will conduct another campaign this month. We will bring two volunteers free of charge to observe these monkeys. They can come with us to the jungle, stay until night and return. They can observe how these monkeys live in their habitat,” he said.
The group aims to spread the conservation awareness through these two volunteers.
After the world was told about Popa Langur in 2020, a study tour to promote conservation was done on 4 June last year for the first time, and it will be the second time this year while they are trying to mark 11 November as the Popa Langur Preservation Day, he explained.
Due to deforestation and farmland expansion, their habitat is shrinking, and they also face the danger of keeping them as pets and being killed. — MT/ZN/ED
