INDIAN WILDLIFE Fauna and flora are not only nature's gift to mankind but also vital elements in the biosphere that supports human life on this fragile planet. Forests and wildlife are intricately interwined in our ecosystem and each draws sustenance from the other and in turn forms biocoenetic relationship with man. However, man often fails to realise the vital relationship. As more and more trees are falled to meet the growing need for wood, as more and more forests are cleared to provide land for human use, the wildlife habitat is constantly, and often irretrievably, shrinking. Industrial effluents also contribute to degradation of natural habitat. Shrinking forests, degradation of habitat, indiscriminate decimation at the hands of poachers have resulted in many species of fauna being forever lost to mankind, many being gravely endangered and threatened. Time is at hand for a concerted and multidimensional global efforts to protect and preserve wildlife for the prosperity.

In order to focus attention on the urgent need for conservation, Indian P & T Department brings out a set of two stamps on Lion-Tailed Macaque and Golden Langur, two endangered indigenous primates, during the National Wildlife Week. GOLDEN LANGUR (Presbytis geei, Khajuria 1958) This primate was discovered by the renowned naturalist, E.P. Gee in 1955. It is a beautiful animal with black, hairless face except for a long, pale beared that gives a golden iridescence in bright light. Its habitat is dense decidous tropical forests with 'sal' (Shorea robusta) as the predominant vegetation. It is limited to a very small area in northwestern Assam and southcentral Bhutan and is distributed on both banks of the Brahmaputra river.

Golden Langur is exclusively vegetarian. Its population in the wild is very limited making it one of the rare species.

Source : Information Folder issued by Indian Posts & Telegraph Department, Government of India