Critically endangered monkey spotted on Singapore eco bridge, suggesting species could be expanding habitat

SINGAPORE: Critically endangered monkeys last seen in Bukit Timah Nature Reserve more than 35 years ago could be making their way back to that area, after at least one of these primates was sighted on an ecological bridge.

The Raffles’ Banded Langur was spotted on cameras placed on the Eco-Link@BKE on two separate occasions in October 2023, said the National Parks Board (NParks) on Thursday (Apr 25). 

The bridge, opened in 2012, connects the Bukit Timah and Central Catchment Nature Reserves, which were separated after the construction of the Bukit Timah Expressway (BKE) in 1986.

A year later, the Raffles’ Banded Langur was spotted for the last time in Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. The langurs are now known to only reside in the Central Catchment Nature Reserve. 

This species, whose scientific name is Presbytis femoralis, is native to Singapore and the southern Malaysian peninsular. As of 2021, only 68 individuals had been recorded in the wild in Singapore.

OCTOBER SIGHTING 

On the evening of Oct 16, 2023, a Raffles’ Banded Langur was captured by a camera trap placed on a Sterculia tree about 10m above the ground. The camera captured the monkey sitting on a branch looking directly at the camera.

The monkey appeared to be scratching itself and looking around before moving off from the branch. Three days later, at 4.30pm on Oct 19, the Raffles’ Banded Langur was spotted again at the same branch. NParks said it was unsure if it was the same monkey.