Population Status of the Endangered Lion-Tailed MacaqueMacaca silenusin Kalakad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, Western Ghats, India

Abstract

The lion-tailed macaque, endemic to the evergreen forests of the Western Ghats in southern India, is endangered. Over the last two decades surveys have documented population declines in a number of areas. There still exists a huge gap, however, in our knowledge of this macaque's status at many sites. It is imperative to identify and conserve existing populations in contiguous, large and undisturbed forests. We present the results of a first complete population survey carried out in the Kalakad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve (KMTR) in the Agasthyamalai landscape; an area that has not been surveyed for two decades. We found a population of at least 462 lion-tailed macaques in 30 groups. The mean group size was 15.4 individuals per group, and the adult sex ratio was 3.5 females/male. The forest of the KMTR is connected with forest reserves in the states of Tamilnadu and Kerala, and it is probable that the lion-tailed macaque population of KMTR is likewise contiguous. Measures must be taken at a landscape level for the long-term conservation of the species; the status of the populations in the neighboring sites need to be assessed, and priority should be given to adequate protection for the Agasthyamalai sub-population as a whole.