An endangered Northern Plains Langur, locally known as “Jessore Hanuman”, has been spotted on the Jahangirnagar University (JU) campus for the first time.
Several students spotted the animal around 12pm on Sunday in the area adjacent to the university’s Wildlife Rescue Centre (WRC).
Shahadat Hossain Sumon, a 47th-batch student from the Department of Chemistry, said he and his friends noticed the langur while heading towards the Monpura area near the WRC and recorded a video of the encounter.
MA Monirul H Khan of the Department of Zoology at JU said there is no prior record or documentation of this langur species on the campus, although monkeys are occasionally seen.
He identified the animal as the Northern Plains Langur (Semnopithecus entellus), which is one of three species of langur found in Bangladesh.
According to Monirul, the species is primarily human-settlement-centric and tends to roam around human habitations, fruit trees, and agricultural land in search of food rather than deep forests, relying also on discarded human food waste.
Highlighting potential entry routes, student and young researcher Aritra Sattar noted that the area adjacent to Bedepalli is considered the most likely entry path taken by the langur.
He explained that the distance from Bedepalli to the WRC is relatively short and surrounded by necessary vegetation and a natural environment.
In contrast, had the animal arrived via Aricha, it would likely have moved towards the area adjacent to the Bangladesh Livestock Research Institute (BLRI), where no record of its presence has been found so far.
Aritra emphasised that urgent research is required to determine the actual origin and reason for the langur’s arrival on campus.
Although the species’ existence is not globally threatened with extinction, it remains quite rare in the context of Bangladesh.
He stressed that the animal should be rescued and kept under observation to gather detailed information regarding its dietary habits, movement, and behaviour.
Following the research, it is essential to return the langur to a suitable natural habitat, as leaving it on campus poses risks of illness or potential conflict with humans.
Meanwhile, Md Kamrul Hasan of the Department of Zoology, who is also the teacher-in-charge of the Wildlife Rescue Centre (WRC), said initiatives will be taken to rescue the wild langur.
He added that his team will be instructed to conduct a search in the designated area and make every effort to rescue the animal.
