A rare visitor in Kollam

Though Kerala is home to Lion-tailed macaques, the animals live only in some pockets of the dense jungles of the southern portion of the Western Ghats and it is rare to find them near human habitations.

But now people in many pockets on the outskirts of Kollam city have a lion-tailed macaque in their midst.

But forgetting its habitat and natural menu, a lone adult male Lion-tailed macaque sighted in human habitats of Kollam since the past one month is proving wrong the adage “you can take a monkey out of the jungle, but you can’t take the jungle out of a monkey”.

Mystery shrouds its sudden appearance in human habitats.

But this old world monkey is now feeling quite at home among people. It was first spotted near a temple in Thazhuthala near Kottiyam.

After three days it disappeared and was spotted in some nearby areas. Then suddenly it has now reached Sambrankodu on the banks of the Ashtamudi Lake some 30 kms away from Kottiyam.

Wherever it goes, people are feeding it. Ripe jackfruit pods, coconut kernels, mangoes, peanuts and bananas have now become the delicacies of this lion-tailed macaque. It has even started entering houses at Sambranikodu demanding food.