Guest guest Posted March 17, 2008 Report Share Posted March 17, 2008 *To see a photo of a Golden Langur, please click : http://www.animalcrusaders.org/ex_main.html and navigate to Pet's world* ** *A GOLDEN MORNING* ** ** ** ** ** *The flight to Guwahati on 17th December, 2007 was late. As usual. I woke up late the next morning. As usual. Breakfast consisted of cheese sandwich and coffee. As usual. My friends came late to meet me. As usual. And then we set off to Umananda, an island**situated in the Brahmaputra river just off the coast of Guwahati. The ferry ride took only five minutes and we embarked on the island that has a renowned Shiva Temple. However, we went there to see the free living Golden Langurs that call Umananda their home. Many years ago, an animal trader named Musa had given two Golden Langurs to a priest on the island. The animals grew up as tame individuals and after a period, reproduced. They were not caged but were free to roam the island. The Golden Langur being one of the rarest primates in the world(the animal was only discovered in the 1950s when it was christened with a scientific name) found principally in Manas National Park situated in Assam and Bhutan, the population on Umananda evoked significant interest amongst nature lovers. Possibly a unique case where wildlife trade has been benign, even beneficial since the animals are so endangered and the translocated individuals on Umananda are a breeding group. And thus I was keen on observing and photographing them. We took the winding road on the island trying to catch a glimpse of these elusive creatures. Nothing was visible and I was slowly forming the impression that we would return empty handed without a sighting let alone a film. But after a lot of searching, a friend pointed out a couple sleeping in a tree, huddled close to each other. It was difficult to film them among the foliage so we moved on. We had almost made the entire trip when we came across a group of four Golden Langurs perched in a tree, three adults and a baby. We were trying to photograph them when a mother descended from the tree with a young. She swung across from branch to branch, manoeuvring deftly with languid grace through the greenery. The mother was holding the baby but the tiny creature slid away. He glided down the tree and came close to me. I started clicking the camera. Watching him through the lens I saw that he had extended his hand. With trepidation I extended my hand too offering him a cake. And in a moment when time seemed to have frozen, the little baby lifted the cake from my outstretched palm. At that instant, she ceased to be an animal. She became a human child and I anthropomorphic. Anthropomorphism. A cardinal sin for a scientist, a momentary must for my spirit. Even when we left the island, I could still feel the gentle caress on my palm left by the baby Golden Langur. The Golden Langurs of Umananda yielded golden memories of a golden morning. Not the usual kind. * Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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