Seven golden langurs rescued from traffickers released into Assam’s newest National Park

Guwahati: Seven endangered golden langurs rescued from wildlife traffickers in western Assam have been released into Sikhna Jwhwlao National Park, Assam Forest Minister Jayanta Mallabaruah announced Thursday (June 25, 2026).

The primates were among eight golden langurs recovered on June 19 during a late-night operation by the Assam Police’s Special Task Force in Chirang district. Nine suspected traffickers, including a Bangladeshi national, were arrested during the raid along National Highway-27 in the Sidli area. One of the rescued langurs died despite medical treatment and rehabilitation efforts.

Before release, the seven survivors completed a “carefully supervised rehabilitation process” and underwent scientific health and behavioral assessments, Mallabaruah said. The release marks “a major achievement in Assam’s wildlife conservation efforts,” he added, crediting coordinated action by forest officials, wildlife experts, enforcement agencies, and local communities.

Sikhna Jwhwlao, straddling Chirang and Kokrajhar districts in the Bodoland Territorial Region, is the newest of Assam’s eight national parks. The 316 sq. km park forms part of the Manas Biosphere Reserve and provides habitat for several rare species, including the golden langur.

The golden langur (Trachypithecus geei) is one of the world’s most endangered primates and is protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act. The species has one of the most restricted ranges of any primate, found only in a 30,000 sq. km corridor across western Assam and the foothills of southern Bhutan, bounded by the Brahmaputra River on three sides and Bhutan’s mountains on the fourth.