A study spanning 40 years found that lion-tailed macaque populations have grown in human-dominated landscapes of the Anamalai Hills in the Western Ghats. Researchers tracked 37 groups across protected forests as well as plantations and settlements. The primate is endemic to Western Ghats rainforests, is Endangered on the IUCN Red List, is in CITES Appendix I, and is protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.