Rare golden langur electrocuted near Kakoijana Reserved Forest in Assam's Bongaigaon

A rare golden langur was electrocuted after coming into contact with a live electric wire near a transformer in Assam's Bongaigaon district on Saturday, July 4, triggering fresh concerns over the safety of the endangered primate in the region.
 

The incident occurred at Nayapara village under the Kakoijana Reserved Forest, a key habitat of the endangered golden langur. According to local sources, the animal died after it came in contact with an electrified wire connected to a transformer.
 

Senior officials of the Forest Department and the Electricity Department visited the site following the incident.
 

The death has drawn criticism from local residents and wildlife enthusiasts, who alleged that recurring electrocution incidents involving golden langurs are the result of inadequate safeguards in the power distribution network.
 

They claimed that repeated appeals had been made to the Electricity Department to insulate power lines and implement measures to prevent such accidents, but little action had been taken.
 

Conservationists also accused the authorities of failing to adequately protect the endangered species despite the Kakoijana Reserved Forest being one of its most important habitats.
 

The death of the langur has left residents of the area distressed. Villagers paid floral tributes to the animal before its final rites, while officials from the Forest and Electricity departments also attended to pay their respects.
 

The golden langur is an endangered primate found primarily in parts of western Assam and neighbouring Bhutan. Wildlife experts have long flagged electrocution from overhead power lines as one of the major threats to its survival outside protected forest patches.