Endangered Baby Monkey Found Abandoned Is Expected to Make a Full Recovery, Officials Say
Plango, a langur monkey with bright orange fur, was rescued by Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand
A baby langur is now safe after being abandoned by his family in the wild.
New photos of the small monkey show the animal preparing for his new home at the Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand (WWFT) rescue center.
Plango, the bright-orange baby monkey who was less than a month old when found, was discovered alone at a rubber plantation in Thailand's Prachuap Khiri Khan province, the foundation shares.
WWFT believes the young langur was abandoned by his family, who were too scared to return to the plantation site. Plango was eventually discovered by a local farmer who called a nearby wildlife rescue center for help.
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WFFT responded to the call and took Plango to its wildlife hospital, where he was given a medical check-up and additional care, as he's now "expected to make a full recovery."
The monkey was discovered in good health, but given his age, and lack of essential skills needed to survive in the wild, Plango can not fend for himself. As a result, he'll live at WFFT's rescue center, where he can socialize with other rescued langurs.
On Plango's road to recovery, vet nurse Git "woke up every two hours throughout the night to feed Plango," per a release from WWFT.
"Pictures of Plango highlight his bright orange fur, which will gradually darken with age," WFFT wrote. "Wildlife experts have various reasons as to why an infant Dusky langur's fur is so bright. Some suggest that the coloring helps mothers easily locate their young, while others argue that it's a form of camouflage. Another theory proposes that it helps to identify the infant within the group, which encourages alloparenting — a form of parental care that sees different members of the group look after the young."
In photos from WFFT, Plango drinks from a small bottle, holds tightly to plush toys, and embraces those helping him heal. In a couple of shots, the bright-orange primate even stares at the camera with his massive eyes.
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Langur monkeys, found in parts of Thailand, Malaysia, and Myanmar, are listed as endangered. And outside of the wild, they are often victims of the illegal pet trade.
The animals are "completely unsuitable as pets," per WFFT, and "require a diverse diet, a natural habitat, and social interaction to thrive."
Plango isn't the only langur to make headlines in recent months either, as the Saint Louis Zoo introduced a new baby monkey to the world in October — just a few days shy of Halloween, perfect timing for a newborn the color of a pumpkin.
The baby langur, named Rhubarb, was born on Sept. 30 to mom Dolly and dad Deshi at the zoo's Michael and Quirsis Riney Primate Canopy Trails habitat. She marked the first Francois' langur born at the Saint Louis Zoo.
"Dolly has been a phenomenal mother and, through the benefit of her having a great relationship with the keeper staff, has been incredibly accommodating to the supportive care that she and Rhubarb needed to get back on track," said zoo primate keeper Ethan Riepl at the time. "She deserves all the credit in the world for our success."
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