Langur Project Penang is an innovative citizen science project led by Jo Leen Yap, a promising young primatologist from Penang. The project is helping to educate the public to understand the challenges facing Penang’s captivating dusky langurs.
Trachypithecus obscurus has many names. They are called lotong or lutong in Malay, and also called dusky leaf monkeys and spectacled langurs.
Langur Project Penang has been studying the ecology and behaviour of dusky langurs in Penang since 2016. Dusky langurs spend most of their time feeding and sheltering on tall trees but they need to cross the road from the forest to the coast to forage for plants that are important to their diet.
- Langurs mainly cross by leaping from tree to tree (63%).
- However, if there is no tree connectivity, they will move along cable wires (34%) or run across the road (2.6%).
- Langur casualties occur when they accidentally fall when crossing on cable wires or get hit by fast-moving vehicles.
Bridging the gap
In order to help langurs adapt to living in human-impacted landscapes, LPP is spearheading a project to install canopy bridges in strategic locations to enable arboreal wildlife to cross safely. This pilot project will provide valuable information to advocate for sustainable road development not just in Penang but elsewhere in Malaysia.
Living together
The education and awareness campaign supported by The Habitat Foundation is a way to help the public understand the challenges faced by wildlife in urban settings and promote empathy and support for these species. In 2018, Jo Leen was recognised as one of the world’s 30 Under 30 by the North American Association for Environmental Education for her contributions.
Jo Leen posing with the NAAEE Award in Washington DC with other honourees from Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Jo Leen Yap running an education programme for children. Jo Leen is working toward completing her PhD at the School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia.
Visit Langur Project Penang’s facebook page for more information on their activities and programmes.
