Conservation Breeding of Endemic Species of Western Ghats

Vandalur Zoo, Chennai

• Introduction
Arignar Anna Zoological Park, commonly known as Vandalur Zoo, the first and the
largest zoo in India, is a worldwide recognized zoological park for its spatial extent,
technological innovations and scientific management of animal species.Spreading in an
area of 602 hectares, it is an excellent nature conservation centre as it promotes various
breeding activities within its spectrum, along with tourism and awareness programs. It
was established in the year 1855 by Dr. Edward Belford as Madras Zoo with the idea of
collection of animals and maintaining them at one place & was the first zoo of India.
o Objectives, inter alia, include :

• Ex-situ conservation and propagation of fauna of the Western and

Eastern Ghats.
• Initiate captive breeding programme for endangered species, etc.
• To act as an education centre for the conservation of wildlife and
forests to the visitors.

o Working
The working of the Zoo is based upon the guidelines of Central Zoo Authority
(CZA). It functions under the supervision of Zoo Authority of Tamil Nadu,
headed by the Chief Minister. For the effective management of the Zoo, a
Master Plan, Animal Collection Plan and Layout Plan are in place.

• Fauna
The Zoo is blessed with ample faunal diversity, with 2471 animals, which includes
indigenous as well as exotic species. These are (as of 2018):
Sr. No. Class Species Total Animals
1 Mammals 47 456
2 Birds 94 1604
3 Reptiles 33 411
Total 174 2471

Special Attractions in the Zoo include:

1. Lion and Deer Safari Parks
2. Forest Museum
3. Aquarium
4. Butterfly Park, etc.
 o Faunal Management Activities:
▪ Animal acquisition, transfer or exchange
▪ Rescue and Rehabilitation
▪ Animal Adoption, etc.

o Innovative Practices
▪ Live streaming
▪ Mobile app
▪ ZIMS: Zoological Information Management System (ZIMS) is an online
website with a database of animals under human care, developed by
Species360. AAZP is a regular user of ZIMS, with up-to-date information
about accession/deaths/surplus/exchange of animal species.

o Breeding Programme
The zoo follows captive breeding of many animals such as Indian gaur, Royal
Bengal Tiger, Indian Rock Python, Painted Stork, Swamp Deer, Indian Wolf,
Hippopotamus, etc.
For the conservation purpose of endemic species of Western Ghats, which have
been declared endangered in Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and IUCN Red List,
AAZP has been following conservation breeding of three species:
• Lion-Tailed Macaque
• Nilgiri Tahr
• Nilgiri Langur

• Nilgiri Langur
Nilgiri langur (Trachypithecus johnii) is a colobinae arboreal monkey, and has
features such as reduced thumb, long tail and a complex stomach. Long light
brown hairs cover the crown and sides of the head. A long glossy fur, which is
black to dark brown in colour, covers the body. Females have cream patch on
the inner side of the thigh, which distinguishes it from male counterpart. The
young ones are red-brown in colour which darkens as it grows in around 10
weeks, achieving full coloration in the end.
Characteristics Range
Male Female
Body Length 78-80 cm 58-60 cm
Weight 9.1-14.8 kg 10.9-11.5 kg
Tail length 68.5 – 96.5 cm
 Nilgiri langur has a home range of about 2-6 hectares, which may vary
depending upon food, vegetation and density of troops. The distribution of
Nilgiri langur geographically is restricted to Western Ghats in the
southwestern India.
▪ Population in the wild is estimated to be around 5,000 to 15,000
individuals with less than 10,000 mature individuals.

o Feeding
Trachypithecus johnii is a folivorous species (mainly dependent on leaves).
They also eat fruits, seeds, flowers and nuts for nutrients. It prefers young
leaves (more protein and low fibers) followed by matured leaves and other
food items. Their food choices are dependent on digestibility as the pH of their
stomach is acidic (5-7).

o Behavior
Nilgiri langur prominently stays in a group which may be uni-male multi-
female group, called troop which may have members ranging from 1 to 27.
Males are more dominant with the alpha male at the top as the leader of the
group.
The gestation period is around 140-220 days and birth season is usually May
and November. The weaning period is about 10-11 months and the infant is
usually taken care by the other female members of the troop as the relationship
between mother and young one is not a strong one. The sexual maturity age is
around 3-5 years which continues for around 10-15 years. The life span of a
langur is around 25-30 years.

o Threats
▪ Habitat loss
With the increasing population pressure and crop plantation, mining,
dams, roads etc., the Western Ghats are now getting destructed and
fragmented, which has resulted into loss of natural habitat.

▪ Poaching
The Nilgiri langur is widely poached for the skin to make drums, flesh
and other parts for the medicines and aphrodisiac use.
Due to various threats to the Trachypithecus johnii, it has been given designated as
“Vulnerable Species” by IUCN, and it is also included in the Schedule I of the Wildlife
Protection Act, 1972.
 Nilgiri Langur

Georgaphic Distribution

Conservation Breeding of Nilgiri Langur

AAZP is practicing conservation breeding since 1985
. It acts as species coordinator zoo for Trachypithecus johnii,
with the participating zoos being Trivandrum Zoo and Mysuru
zoo. It started with 1 male and 3 female population, which has
now increased to 20 individuals – 6 males and 14 females. The
most recent birth was recorded on 19th January 2019.
The scientific management of breeding is done under the
supervision of zoo authorities, with the help of biologists and
veterinarian officers. The features of conservation breeding
include:
o Enclosure
preferred
Wet moat asislangurs are great jumpers and can leap to great heights, but Wet moat enclosure
are water phobic. Thus, the presence of water restricts
their ability to escape.
Wet moat enclosure is a deep-ditch filled with water with the dimensions of
around 100 m circumference, with one-side cave model rest house (3 cubicles
), for feeding and resting purpose. The flora present inside the moat primarily
consists of Pithecellobium dulce and Incia dulce. These species are suitable as
they are preferred by the animal for its leaves, flowers, and fruits which are all
edible.
o Studbook
Studbook is a registry containing all the information regarding individuals. It
consists of ID, Name, Transponder, Sex, Birth Date, Sire (Father), Dam (
Mother), Location and Dates of Events (such as births, deaths, transfer,
capture, etc.). This information is vital to identify an individual, to select pair
for breeding purpose in order to avoid in-breeding and to maintain genetic
variability.
o Selection for Breeding
A pedigree is maintained for Nilgiri Langur, which is the information about
the parent animals involved in breeding and their off-springs and siblings.

A (sire) B (dam) X (dam)

C (off-spring)
D (off-spring)

Pedigree Illustration

Selection for
breeding is made
based upon the
study of family
relations, which
helps in avoiding in-breeding and maintain genetic variability. It should be
noted that the genetic variation achieved in AAZP for Nilgiri langur is around
85%.
o Prenatal, Perinatal and Postnatal Care
Prenatal care is provided by the zoo veterinarian in order to avoid physical and
psychological stress upon the pregnant animal. The diet is accordingly
modified (inclusion of extra calories and protein) to meet the requirements of
the mother.
In the zoo, following diet is being given to the Nilgiri langur :
S. No. Feed ingredient Per animal
1. Rice 30g
2. Groundnut 25g
3. Banana 4 nos
 4. Sweet lime 1 nos
5. Guava 1 nos
6. Bengal gram 15g
7. Cabbage 50g
8. Greens 100g
9. Bread slices 4 nos
10. Boiled egg – alternate 1 nos
days
11. Soya chunks 20g
12. Carrot 50g
13. Grapes 50g
14. Honey 10ml
15. Jaamun 30g
16. Amla 30g
17. Sitaphal 50g
18. Cucumber 50g
19. Water melon ( 100g
Summer)
20. Jackfruit (Summer) 50g

During birth, the langurs prefer to be alone and they take care of themselves.
This is actively monitored by the staff, which intervenes in case of any
emergency.
For postnatal care, it is taken care that the infant and the mother don’t get
affected by diseases such as TB, Pneumonia etc. Timely vaccination, fecal
inspection and deworming procedures are followed to keep the animals safe
and healthy.
Apart from disease protection, hygiene of the animals is maintained by active
cleaning of the cells, frequent checking of food material, and use of
indigenous turmeric powder (free from chemicals).
o Release in Wild
▪ IUCN has issued guidelines for introduction and reintroduction in the
wild of such breeded animals. This is done in order to maintain the
biodiversity and keeping the zoo maintenance as optimum as possible.
For this, first step is to assess the area where the introduction or
reintroduction is to be done and a study is made of the possible
threats/advantages/disadvantages of bringing the species to this
environment. After a detailed study, there are two methods are
followed to release the animal into the forest which are as following:

• Soft-release
The procedure includes:
1. Selection of a site away from human interference
 2. Monitoring animal activity
3. Gradually withdrawing human assistance for about 3
years
4. Complete independence of animal in the wild.
• Forced release
In this release we do not monitor the activities in the wild as it
is already used to of such conditions.
It should be noted that no such animal has yet been reintroduced in the wild due to less
population, but such efforts will be taken in the future.

• Conclusion
With the increasing threats to wildlife under the biotic pressures and climatic change,
, the modern and scientific conservation breeding initiatives taken by Arignar Anna
Zoological Park make it an example for other zoological parks to follow. Such
breeding initiatives should be followed by other zoological parks as well, to nurture
and propagate respective endemic species – for the conservation of faunal diversity
across the globe.
Along with the ex-situ conservation programmes, in-situ conservation should be
encouraged too to the extent possible, and efforts should be made to enrich the natural
habitats of such endangered species so that they can live freely and naturally in their
homes.

“The tomorrow rests on the shoulders of today, thus today is the day to save our
Earth.”

• Resource Person
o Smt. Sudha S, IFS – Dy. Director
o Dr. Thaya Sekhar – Chief Veterinary Officer
o Dr. A. Manimozhi – Biologist
o Sh. G. Kamraj – Biologist
o Dr. Sridhar – Veterinary officer
o Dr. Nalini – Veterinary officer
o Ashok Kumar – Animal keeper