A mate (foreground) greets the wounded langur in his cabin. The simian has recovered and been deserted by his harem

A stray langur, caught for treatment at an animal hospital, has decided not to return to his six mates, presumably because they seem to have lost interest in him.

The harem of six would drop in every afternoon at the hospital, run by Love-N-Care for Animals in Behala, for the 20 days their male partner had been under treatment.

But ever since he was set free on Sunday, their rounds have become irregular.

Recounting the his behaviour on Sunday afternoon, immediately after the langur?s release, hospital secretary Sushmita Roy said: ?He came out of his ?cabin? and slowly approached the group, waiting by the window. They huddled for some time and three of the females plucked a tuft of hair from his head after a playful scuffle.?

She added: ?This went on for around 20 minutes, after which the group dispersed, leaving the male behind. Instead of following his mates, the langur came back into his room.?

He has been staying put there since.

Hospital functionaries have also noticed a strange shift in the langur?s food habit: he has adapted himself to a diet of boiled rice and vegetables.

?You need to see to believe how the langur demands his meal by waving his hands and making a sound at 2.30 pm daily,? Sushmita chuckled.

A pack of seven langurs, led by the male, stormed the hospital in the last week of August. Spotting a deep scar on the neck of the male, the staff caught him with a lasso.

Veterinary surgeon Shymal Guha carried out cosmetic surgery in the neck and now the langur is completely cured.

During his confinement in hospital, the six females would visit him daily in the afternoon.

Like disciplined visitors, they would wait outside the window, extend their paws through the grille and caress him.