The Golden Langur
For decades, tea planters spoke of a cream-coloured monkey in the forests of Assam. Scientists didn't know it existed until 1953.
What was reported
In the early 20th century, tea planters and foresters in Assam occasionally reported a monkey with fur of 'one colour, a light silvery-gold' in the forests near the Bhutan border. No photograph or specimen was ever produced, and science had no record of such an animal.
In November 1953, the naturalist and tea planter E.P. Gee went looking. Near the Sankosh River, his team found several groups of golden-furred langurs, on both the Indian and Bhutanese sides, and he photographed them.
Explanations offered
The golden langur was formally described as a new species in 1956, and was named Gee's golden langur. It lives only in a small area of western Assam and Bhutan, and is endangered. It is a reminder that local accounts of unknown animals are sometimes right.
- When
- Confirmed in 1953
- Where
- Assam–Bhutan border, near the Sankosh River
- Witnesses
- Tea planters, naturalist E.P. Gee
- Status
- Confirmed
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.