Dec

Fifth family of hoolock gibbons moved to a safer home

The female and baby gibbon before capture

Roing (Arunachal Pradesh), December 7, 2012: A family of three hoolock gibbons was moved today from the village of Dello, to a safer habitat in Mehao Wildlife Sanctuary, in the third leg of an ongoing project to rescue a group of hoolock gibbons stranded on an isolated cluster of trees. Four families before this one have successfully translocated and released since December last year.

Primatologist Kuladeep Roy who has been working on the project is upbeat on progress. “Since we have done this a few times now and have some experience, capturing the animals was a lot smoother, and we did it without lopping any trees,” he says. “It is important to cause minimum stress to the animals, to ensure better survival.”

The tranquilized female being moved for transportation by the IFAW-WTI team

A team of veterinarians and biologists from the International Fund for Animal Welfare – Wildlife Trust of India (IFAW-WTI) are assisting the Arunachal State Forest Department in this series of operations that is supported by Noyen-Melendez Family Trust, Serenity Trust, and philanthropists Himraj Dang, Subhadra and Kannan Jayaraman.

“The habitat of these endangered animals is degrading rapidly,” says Ipra Mekola, Arunachal Pradesh State Wildlife Advisory Member. “Last year the team identified this group in Dello which urgently needed to be moved, as they were stranded in an isolated cluster of trees. Being canopy dwellers, their descent to the ground for food and water makes them vulnerable to predation and poaching.”

The male gibbon being released in Mehao

Hoolock gibbons are the only apes found in India, with their distribution restricted to the country’s northeast region. Two species have been identified here – eastern hoolock gibbon (Hoolock leuconedys) and western hoolock gibbons (Hoolock hoolock). They are protected under Schedule I of the Indian Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.

Photos: Sashanka Barbaruah / WTI