Rescued from wildlife traffickers, 7 endangered golden langurs head back to the wild in Assam

On 20 June 2026, a coordinated operation by a Special Task Force (STF), Chirang Police, the Assam Forest Department, and the Sashastra Seema Bal intercepted ...

What Happened

On 20 June 2026, a coordinated operation by a Special Task Force (STF), Chirang Police, the Assam Forest Department, and the Sashastra Seema Bal intercepted wildlife traffickers on National Highway 27, apprehending nine individuals and seizing eight golden langurs.
One langur had already died during transport; the remaining seven were placed under the supervision of wildlife specialists and veterinary teams for health assessment and behavioural monitoring.
The trafficking network had linkages spanning Bangladesh, West Bengal, and Assam, including foreign nationals; local individuals who had trapped the langurs were also involved.
On 23 June 2026, the seven surviving golden langurs were released into Sikhna Jwhwlao National Park, adjoining Chirang district in western Assam.
The release was carried out after the animals were certified fit for return to their natural habitat.

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Gee's Golden Langur — Species Profile

The Gee's golden langur (Trachypithecus geei) is one of the world's rarest primates, named after the naturalist E. P. Gee who first documented it in the 1950s. It is endemic to a narrow corridor in western Assam (India) and southern Bhutan, making it one of the most geographically restricted primates in South Asia. In India, the species is found only in Assam, principally in the Manas Biosphere Reserve and adjoining forest patches near the Bhutan border.

Scientific name: Trachypithecus geei.
IUCN Red List status: Endangered.
Geographic range: western Assam (India) and southern Bhutan; found in no other country.
Estimated wild population: approximately 7,000 individuals, of which around 80% live outside protected areas in fragmented forest patches and fringe villages.
Primary threats: habitat fragmentation (road construction, deforestation), human-wildlife conflict, and wildlife trafficking.
Listed in: Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 (India); CITES Appendix I; Bhutan's Forest and Nature Conservation Act, 1995.
The species' golden-orange coat colour, which varies seasonally, makes it visually distinctive and commercially attractive to traffickers.

Connection to this news: The seven langurs were seized from traffickers exploiting the species' rarity and market value; their release into Sikhna Jwhwlao National Park — which adjoins the Chirang Reserve Forest in the Manas landscape — returns them to their natural biogeographic range.

Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 — Schedules and Penalties

The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 is India's primary legislation for the conservation of wild animals and plants, as well as for regulation of trade in wildlife products. The Act established a schedule-based protection system, with Schedule I providing the highest level of protection. A 2022 amendment consolidated the earlier six schedules into four and added a new chapter (VIB) to implement India's CITES obligations domestically.

Schedule I species: receive absolute protection; hunting, poaching, trade, and possession are prohibited throughout India except to prevent imminent human threat or in cases of incurable disease.
Penalty for offences involving Schedule I species: minimum 3 years' imprisonment, extendable to 7 years; minimum fine of ₹10,000.
Repeat offenders face enhanced penalties: minimum 7 years' imprisonment.
The 2022 amendment replaced the original six schedules with four: Schedule I (absolute protection), Schedule II (lesser protection), Schedule III (plants protected), Schedule IV (CITES-listed species).
Section 50 grants Wildlife Officers powers of search, seizure, and arrest without warrant for Schedule I offences.
Section 51 sets out the penalty framework.

Connection to this news: The golden langur's Schedule I status means the traffickers apprehended on NH-27 face a minimum three-year prison term; the multi-agency operation (STF, forest department, Sashastra Seema Bal) reflects the coordinated enforcement structure the Act enables.

CITES — Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species

CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) is an international agreement between governments that regulates international trade in over 38,000 species of plants and animals. It operates through a permit system administered by national Management Authorities and Scientific Authorities.

Adopted: 1973; entered into force: 1975. India joined CITES in 1976.
Appendix I: species threatened with extinction; commercial international trade is prohibited; trade permitted only in exceptional circumstances (e.g., scientific research).
Appendix II: species not currently threatened but whose trade must be controlled to prevent overexploitation.
Appendix III: species protected in at least one country that has requested assistance in controlling trade.
Golden langur listing: CITES Appendix I — commercial trade internationally prohibited.
India's domestic CITES implementation: Chapter VIB of the Wildlife (Protection) Act (as amended 2022); Schedule IV of the amended Act lists CITES-covered specimens.
CITES does not directly regulate domestic trade; domestic protection is governed by national law (in India, the WPA 1972).

Connection to this news: The trafficking network's linkage to Bangladesh and foreign nationals indicates an international dimension, bringing the operation within the scope of CITES enforcement alongside the Wildlife Protection Act. Appendix I listing means any cross-border movement of these langurs would have required near-impossible authorisations, rendering the trafficking clearly illegal under both domestic and international law.

Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) — Role in Border Security and Wildlife Protection

The Sashastra Seema Bal is one of India's Central Armed Police Forces, raised in 1963, with primary mandate to guard the Indo-Nepal and Indo-Bhutan borders. SSB's border surveillance role makes it a key partner in detecting wildlife trafficking along the India-Bhutan corridor, which is a known smuggling route for species endemic to the eastern Himalayan footprint.

SSB raised: 1963 (originally Special Service Bureau); renamed Sashastra Seema Bal in 2001.
Borders guarded: India-Nepal (1,751 km) and India-Bhutan (699 km).
The Bhutan border runs through Assam and Arunachal Pradesh — precisely the range of the golden langur.
SSB has powers under the Wildlife Protection Act to assist in detection and prevention of cross-border wildlife trafficking.

Connection to this news: SSB's participation in the NH-27 operation underscores the cross-border nature of the trafficking ring; the seizure point on a national highway in Assam suggests the animals were either in transit from or toward the Bhutan border.

Key Facts & Data

Golden langur scientific name: Trachypithecus geei.
IUCN status: Endangered.
Estimated wild population: approximately 7,000 individuals.
Proportion living outside protected areas: ~80%.
Found in India only in: western Assam (Manas Biosphere Reserve and adjoining forests).
International range: also southern Bhutan.
Wildlife Protection Act protection: Schedule I (highest level).
WPA penalty for Schedule I offences: 3–7 years imprisonment; fine minimum ₹10,000.
CITES listing: Appendix I (commercial international trade prohibited).
Operation date: 20 June 2026; NH-27, Assam.
Agencies involved: STF, Chirang Police, Assam Forest Department, Sashastra Seema Bal.
Individuals arrested: 9.
Langurs seized: 8 (1 died during trafficking transport; 7 released).
Release site: Sikhna Jwhwlao National Park, adjoining Chirang district, Assam.
Release date: 23 June 2026.