Baby Golden Langur tries to wake up mother killed by speeding vehicle in Assam, incident evokes outcry

A heart-wrenching video of a two-month-old Golden Langur desperately trying to wake up its mother killed by a speeding vehicle in western Assam has gone viral on social media, with animal lovers and conservationists calling for strict measures to prevent recurrence of such incidents.

Golden Langur, an endangered primate, is found only in a small area in western Assam and the foothills of neighbouring Bhutan.

The mother and child had come down from a tree in search of food, when the former was hit by a speeding vehicle in Kakoijana area of Bongaigaon district on Friday, officials said.

In a video that went viral, the infant was seen crying and desperately trying to wake up the dead mother and refused to leave her for nearly an hour, till locals rescued the baby.

This was the second incident of a Golden Langur being run over by a speeding vehicle in the region in the last three days. An adult male was killed in a similar fashion in Nayekgaon area in Kokrajhar district on Wednesday.

Experts have pointed out that many trees were cut down for the four-laning of a National Highway passing through the area, adversely affecting the continuity of natural canopy bridges, and thus forcing the primates to cross the road in search of food.

Primate Research Centre NE, a non-governmental organisation, has urged the administration to construct artificial canopy bridges in vulnerable areas.

The NGO's founder Jihosuo Biswas said they have received permission to construct a few such artificial canopy bridges in Nayekgaon area of Kokrajhar.

The incident has evoked an emotional outcry among many animal lovers in the state, with them calling for strict measures to protect the endangered species.

"It was heart-rending to see the infant Golden Langur trying to wake up its dead mother. Authorities should take adequate measures to prevent recurrence of such incidents. Frequent felling of trees has forced animals to come out of their habitat in search of food," wildlife photographer Sanjib Gohain Boruah said.

"Alternative arrangements should be made to ensure that animals are not exposed to threats to their lives when development works are undertaken," the former bureaucrat added.