Clinging onto Hope

A young Raffles’ banded langur clings alone from a tree branch, looking ahead. The tree, bare of leaves, signifies the main threat that this species is facing - habitat loss and fragmentation, as our city continues to urbanise.
The Raffles’ banded langur is a critically endangered primate that is endemic to Singapore, where I am from, and southern Peninsular Malaysia. In the 1980s, their numbers hit a low of 10 in Singapore, but has since grown gradually to about 70 individuals in recent years. Thanks to the tremendous efforts of scientists and conservationists, they have been brought back from the brink of extinction.
Eyes full of hope and curiosity, this playful young individual hopes that we can continue protection and conservation efforts so that their species will continue to increase in the years to come, and they can grow up with no worries.