The grey langur, also known as the Hanuman langur or the common langur, is larger than the even more common rhesus macaque. The grey langur and the rhesus macaques are fierce rivals in the wild. The langur is used by horticulturists to keep rhesus macaques at bay.
Both langurs and macaques are seen in large numbers near temples that are visited by a continuous stream of pilgrims. Shrines are neutral grounds where the simians and humans live in harmony.
The shrine of Satyanarayana Swamy of Annavaram in East Godavari district has become a haunt for several grey langur families.
Eastern Ghats Wildlife Society (EGWS) biologist and conservation educationist K L N Murthy said that Grey langurs need huge tracts of forest to sustain themselves. Forests with canopy which the langurs need are fast disappearing, he said.
Langurs have become permanent residents of the Annavaram shrine which has forest in its vicinity. Pilgrims revere the Hanuman langur and feed it with whatever available with them. But popcorn, biscuits and other knick-knacks offered by modern pilgrims are harmful to them, Mr. Murthy said. “The langurs get accustomed to humans. They begin by begging for food, but when hungry attack pilgrims carrying food resulting in a man-animal conflict. Since the langurs move around in large troupes, the humans feel intimidated, he explained and added there was a need to educate the pilgrims not to feed the monkeys.
With their habitat fast disappearing, the frequency of langur raids on horticulture and others crops has increased. They have become a source of distress to farmers with fields on the edge of the forest. Former Assistant Conservator of Forest P. Gracious said that the Forest Department frequently received complaints from farmers in Krishna, East and West Godavari districts about monkey menace.
There were several occasions when animal trappers were pressed into service to catch the primates and release them in the forest, but it did not take them long to find their way back to the edge of the forest, he said.
