IN order to preserve Popa langur from Mount Popa, the Mahagiri group will conduct campaigns under the theme “Don’t Catch, Don’t Sell” on 11 November, which is designated as Popa Langur Conservation Day.
Popa langur is a species of monkey found only in Myanmar, with a population of about 300 in the world, and as they are beautiful, there may be cases of them being caught and sold as pets.
11th November has been designated Popa Langur Conservation Day by the Mahagiri group in cooperation with locals, and this is the third time the event has been held.
“As for Popa langur conservation, this year will be the third time. Together with locals, we have designated 11 November as Conservation Day and are focusing on an advocacy campaign. Because these monkeys are exquisite, people want to keep them as pets, so we will invite guests and make campaigns to prevent them from being kept as pets. In previous years, we invited people and made plans to climb the mountain. Doing this disturbed the monkeys, so this year, we will not go into the forest. Instead, we will conduct a campaign called “Don’t Catch, Don’t Sell”, for Popa Langur Day. We will hand out pamphlets,” said Ko Tin Ko Min of the Mahagiri group.
In addition to Popa, the Popa langur lives in other places such as Hpa-an, Bago Yoma and Pyadalin Cave, and such campaigns are necessary to be launched in some areas so as not to kill and eat them, he said. — MT/ZN
