“Raffles’ Banded Langur: The Elusive Monkey Of Singapore And Malaysia” by Andie Ang, Sabrina Jabbar

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Rating: 5/5 Stars.

A lovely book by noted primate researchers on the Raffles’ Banded Langur, that is general enough to be enjoyed by anybody interested in knowing more about the Langurs. I had the privilege of sharing Langur observations with Andie Ang and taking part in a Langur survey, and her personal enthusiasm for the Langurs, and for primates in general, shows through in the book.

The book starts with an overview of the primates found in Singapore (besides humans), followed by a taxonomy of the Langurs and of primates in general. I was amused to see the only photo featuring humans as primates in the book was a photo of the authors with the late, great, Jane Goodall. The distribution of the Langurs in Singapore and southern peninsula Malaysia is then given, showing how restricted the range of the Langurs are.

The social structure of the Langurs in Singapore is then presented, which are family groups with a dominant male, or bands of wandering males. The authors then provide information on the groups which are being followed by the researchers, showing the personalities of the leaders and members of the groups. To give each group distinct names, members are named after fruits, Marvel characters(!), drinks, planets, band instruments, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles(!). The eating habits of the Langurs are then covered, discovered by observations of the Langurs and from DNA samples from their faeces.

The last chapter covers the threats and conservation efforts being made, in the face of continuous development that is removing the forest required by the Langurs (and other wildlife). Here, Andie Ang also gives her personal history of involvement with the Langurs, starting with her research, under Prof. Rudolf Meier, who specialises in flies but was willing to support her research. Eventually, a Raffles’ Banded Langur Group was set up, and groups of Langurs were studied, their habitats protected and improved, and outreach and education efforts done to inform the public about the Langurs and other primates.

Who knows what the future holds for the Langurs and other primates in Singapore. But with Andie Ang and other researchers, they have supporters when issues about national development arise that can affect them.

Book read from 2026/08/03 to 2026/08/04.