Nilgiri langur recaptured

After Cyclone Vardah caused extensive damage to the Arignar Anna Zoological Park in Vandalur, two Nilgiri langurs went missing, much to the anxiety of residents of neighbouring villages. One of them was captured on Monday.

Initial reports said that an adult Lion-tailed Macaque had escaped after the cyclone damaged the enclosures of several animals. However, zoo officials clarified that it was the langurs that had gone missing after a big tree fell on the iron mesh and damaged it completely.

The zoo houses 20 Nilgiri Langurs. Officials said the langurs were expected to return to their enclosure at the time of feeding. But in this case, they did not. They noted that the environment had changed in the zoo following the cyclone due to the presence of heavy vehicles such as cranes, earthmovers, lorries, tractors, power saws, and those working in the close vicinity of animal enclosures, leading to considerable disturbance to the langurs, who were sensitive to the noise and obstruction.

One female Nilgiri Langur (8 years) was captured by sedation on Monday and a team of wildlife staff is searching the other one, a sub-adult.

Meanwhile, work to restore the zoo is still on. Forest officials said that the biggest challenge was clearing the fallen trees obstructing pathways. “We are trying to ensure the animals and birds are not stressed. Our priority is to repair the barricades and walkways. We are also focussing on restoring water supply to the animal enclosures. Restoring drinking water and toilet facilities to the visitors would take a little more time,” officials said.

“With power supply getting restored in a phased manner, it might take many days to open the zoo for the public as the safety of the animals and visitors has to be ensured,” said an official.