An inhabitant of lush rainforests, the lion-tailed macaque Macaca silenus makes its only home in the primeval jungles of the Western Ghats. Living in small troupes, they roam the canopy foraging for berries, fruits, insects and even small mammals. These lions of the treetops not only have a lion-like appearance but a carnivorous appetite as well, readily raiding the nests of giant squirrels and reaching into tree hollows looking for meaty snacks. This diet has led the lion-tailed macaque to evolve a very simple stomach, much like a human stomach, where it cannot even digest leaf buds that other macaques can. Evolution eventually tied the macaque down to a tropical rain forest habitat, which could provide a bountiful supply of flowers, fruits, seeds and insects throughout the year.

These specialised macaques once ranged through most parts of the Western Ghats, but rapid deforestation and poaching over the last several decades completely eliminated their populations from many areas. Today they survive only as small isolated populations in pockets of remnant rainforest. They spend most of their time in the canopy of mature forests and are reluctant to move across disturbed areas. Shrinking gene pools, fragmented habitats, poaching and an astonishingly low reproductive rate are quickly dimming all hope for this highly endangered species.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classifies the lion-tailed macaque to be a critically endangered species of extremely high conservation value. Few animals symbolise the struggle to survive amidst the onslaught of deforestation activities more vividly than this primate. Halting further fragmentation of rainforest habitat and providing vital corridors is critical to the ultimate survival of these rare and mysterious animals.