SINGAPORE \u2013 The critically endangered Raffles\u2019 banded langur \u2013 whose population here is now largely confined to the Central Catchment Nature Reserve \u2013 has been spotted in Bukit Timah Nature Reserve for the first time in nearly 40 years.<\/p>\n
An adult male was spotted and photographed at the summit of Bukit Timah Nature Reserve about 9am on May 31, according to a biodiversity record published on July 31 in the peer-reviewed journal Nature In Singapore.<\/p>\n
According to the paper, the observation represents the first photographic evidence of the species\u2019 return to that nature reserve in nearly 40 years, presumably via the Eco-Link@BKE or the Rifle Range Flyover.<\/p>\n
The primate is currently listed as globally critically endangered, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. There are about 70 to 80 of this species in Singapore now, said primate expert Andie Ang, in response to The Straits Times\u2019 queries. She is one of the two authors of the July 31 article.<\/p>\n
Following the death of the last Raffles\u2019 banded langur (Presbytis femoralis<\/i>) in the Bukit Timah reserve in 1987, its population was long restricted to the Central Catchment Nature Reserve, the Nature In Singapore report read.<\/p>\n
However, in recent years, langurs have begun venturing into areas outside the Central Catchment reserve, it noted.<\/p>\n
According to the report, the langur \u2013 which has black fur and white bands \u2013 was spotted on May 31 in the trees and moved off after 10 minutes.<\/p>\n
In one of the two images, the langur can be seen sitting on a branch and eating leaves. The other image shows the silhouette of the langur.<\/p>\n
The langur was identified by Ang, who heads the Raffles\u2019 Banded Langur Working Group that was established in 2016. It was spotted by citizen scientists Chris Devillers and Alvin Wong, who is also the report\u2019s co-author. Wong photographed the elusive primate.<\/p>\n There are about 70 to 80 Raffles\u2019 banded langurs in Singapore now, said Dr Andie Ang, a primate expert.<\/p>\n PHOTO: ALVIN WONG<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Some movements were observed in nearby trees, but it is unclear if they were made by other Raffles\u2019 banded langurs, the paper read.<\/p>\n In a Facebook post on Aug 2, the Raffles\u2019 Banded Langurs Working Group called the sighting of the primate a \u201cmonumental observation for Singapore\u201d. The group was formed to ensure the long-term conservation of these langurs.<\/p>\n It said the sighting follows a series of promising signs over recent years, including langurs being spotted at Dairy Farm Nature Park in 2021 and Rifle Range Nature Park in 2022, and captured by a camera trap on the Eco-Link@BKE <\/span><\/a>in 2023<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n The Eco-Link@BKE is an ecological bridge that sits over the BKE, and lets animals cross safely between the Bukit Timah and Central Catchment reserves, according to information on NParks\u2019 website. Both nature reserves used to be connected before the highway was constructed in 1986.<\/p>\n \u201cMore field monitoring is needed to determine whether more than one langur now resides in (the Bukit Timah reserve), with the ultimate hope that additional langurs will recolonise the area and establish a viable breeding population there,\u201d the July 31 paper read.<\/p>\n Numbers of the shy tree-dwelling monkey, which are found only in Singapore and southern Peninsular Malaysia, were predicted to dwindle to the point of extinction in the 1990s<\/span><\/a> because of habitat loss and fragmentation.<\/p>\n A study published in the Raffles Bulletin Of Zoology journal in September 2023 found that the langur population is expected to double to 150 in the next 15 years, and go up to more than 240 monkeys by 2071.<\/p>\n Those who spot the primate can inform the Raffles\u2019 Banded Langur Working Group through its Facebook<\/span><\/a> or Instagram<\/span><\/a> accounts, said Ang.<\/p>\n The working group hosts community science programmes every six months, said Ang. In these programmes, volunteers learn to conduct field surveys, she added.<\/p>\n The group is looking at expanding the field surveys to the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, given the confirmed sighting there, according to Ang. Field surveys are currently not done at the reserve.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/picture><\/div>