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COIMBATORE: Road accidents and electrocution are claiming lives of many lion-tailed macaques on the Valparai Plateau — an alarming two-thirds of the 68 deaths of this endangered species over the past five years, says a study conducted by the Nature Conservation Foundation (NCF). Unfortunately, 79% of them were juveniles and infants. However, over the last 30 years (1996-2026), the population of lion-tailed macaque (Macaca silenus) in Valparai has increased significantly - from just 46 individuals in six groups in 1996 to more than 800 individuals across 37 groups in 2026. Large numbers of the species, alternatively known as “wanderoo”, are found in estates such as Andiparai, Iyyerpadi-Akkamalai, Puthuthottam, Kurangumudi, and Tata Coffee in the Valparai Plateau’s fragmented forest landscape. The adult male-to-female ratio of the primate endemic to the Western Ghats has also improved from 21:57 in 1996 to 66:243 in 2025. Several groups of lion-tailed macaques are exposed to highway traffic and require urgent management attention. A major concern is the Pollachi-Valparai highway, which cuts through rainforest stretches. Due to a lack of awareness, tourists often feed the animals or dump leftover food along the roadside. This attracts the macaques from the forest canopy to the ground, increasing the...