5 survivors leading life without mates!

Fate of Lajuki Bandors in Umanda Island

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, March 27: Each of the five Lajuki Bandors (Slow Loris) left in Umanda Island in the middle of the Brahmaputra, Guwahati has to live his/her life without any mate, thanks to the isolation they have been in and the apathy on the part of Dispur to make the island a lovenest for them.

Umanda Island is now left with only five Lajuki Bandors. And none of them is in good health. The island had nine members of Lajuki Bandors who happened to be of the same family – parents and their sons and daughters – at the beginning. Even the temple committee does not know where they (the monkeys) came from, and how they came to. While three members of the family died, one was taken to the State Zoo-cum-Botanical Garden, Guwahati for breeding in 2014. The zoo authorities did assure the temple committee authority of returning the Lajuki Bandor to it. However, the monkey has not been returned to it as yet.

When asked as to why the five members, both males and females, of the monkey troop do not reproduce their own kinds, devalaya maging committee working president reswar Bhattacharya said: “This monkey species lives like human being in family. They’ve the sense of kinship amongst family members, and as such they don’t go for copulation amongst themselves. If we’re to increase their population, we need to ensure their mating with partners of opposite sexes from elsewhere – it’s something beyond our reach. We’ve made several pleas to the State Government to make that happen, but to no avail as yet.”

Bhattacharya further said: “All the five surviving Lajuki Bandors here are not in good health. The veteriry doctor who comes here for their health check-up is not regular. This apart, the animals don’t get adequate quantity of food they need.”

Bhattacharya added: “This meek animal lives on trees in troops. They don’t create any panicky like other monkeys. They seldom fight among themselves. Whatever visitors give them to eat is their food.”