Cangar, East Java. More Javan langurs have been spotted inhabiting East Java’s Raden Soerjo National Park, an animal conservation group said on Saturday, adding that it was an encouraging sign of the area’s commitment to preserving its biodiversity.
In a survey conducted between July and November by ProFauna and the park’s conservation officials, 80 Javan langurs, called lutung Jawa locally, were found scattered in the forest area, 30 more than the 50 counted in the last survey in 2000.
Javan langurs are a protected long-tailed monkey species. They inhabit tropical forests and are often hunted for meat.
According to Radius Nursidi, a spokesman for ProFauna, Javan langurs usually live on Juglandaceae and ficus trees that are still abundant in the protected forest.
“The biodiversity found in the forest is a sign that the tropical forest there is well preserved. The type of Javan langurs that were found there are a rare type, the kind with orange coats,” Radius said, adding that the langurs, which usually have a black coat, preferred to live in forests with a wide variety of trees.
Other trees that were found in the area were trema excels, ficus variegata, mycura javabica, ficus racemosa, casuarina junghuniana and quercus lintaca.
The recent survey found the animals living in various trees in 11 separate groups. The largest group was found around Coban Watuondo and Coban Teyeng, inside the protected forest.
However, the langurs were noticeably absent from areas around nearby Mount Anjasmoro. In other areas in East Java, such as Banyuwangi, Situbondo, Bondowoso and Jember, the animal’s population had declined due to continued hunting.
“It can be sold for Rp 200,000 to Rp 500,000 [$22 to $55] per animal,” Radius said. “The meat is cooked and made into bakso [meatballs].”
The protected forest covers 27,868 hectares and is also a critical breeding ground for the protected Javan eagle. It also has 163 springs that supply water to nearby villages.
Raden Soerja was declared a national park in 1992, spanning across into the nearby Arjuno Lalijowo forest.
Aside from the Raden Soerjo National Park, Pro Fauna also monitors other areas where the animal is native, such as Banyuwangi, Jember, Bondowoso, Situbondo and Ngawi.
“We would search the local market first. If we found the animal being sold there it’s an indication that there’s a population of the long-tailed monkey living in the nearby forest,” Radius said.