KARACHI: A gray langur rescued last week from the desert parts of district Ghotki was released into the forest area of Karoonjhar Hills on Monday.

The species also called ‘Hanuman langur’ or ‘Hanuman monkeys’ is endangered and protected under the provincial wildlife act.

“We have released it near a mandir, a place frequented by another langur that’s rescued six to eight years ago,” said Deputy Conservator Wildlife Adnan Hamid Khan, who led the rescue and release operation. He added that both monkeys were male.

He recalled that the old langur was the lone surviving monkey from a group of four that strayed into Pakistani territory. “The villagers killed two monkeys while the third died of an electric shock when it came in contact with a high tension wire.”

About the recently rescued langur, he said it was initially reported by the wildlife staff posted at a check-post in Khairpur’s desert area bordering India on Jan 15. Later, the langur was spotted in the Sardargarh area of district Ghotki and rescued from there.

“It had some injuries and was quarantined for some days prior to its release into the wild,” he said, adding that the department would look for a female so the monkeys could breed and enjoy a normal life.

Published in Dawn, February 6th, 2024