CWRC, Kaziranga, May 23, 2015: A male western hoolock gibbon was admitted to the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) run Center for Wildlife Rescue and Conservation (CWRC) on May 23, 2015. The five-year-old animal was confiscated by couple of journalists from locals and handed over to the Assam Forest Department. Presently, the hoolock gibbon is quarantined and would be kept in isolation till he is screened clear of all diseases. This is to avoid all possibility of any infection getting transmitted to the three gibbons already housed at CWRC.

The western hoolock gibbon at CWRC.

According to the Forest Department, two media persons from Dokmoka in Assam were visiting Belughat village for some work when they saw two villagers carrying the gibbon on their shoulders with all his limbs tied to a rope. The gibbon was not in best of the health prompting the media persons to ask the villagers to hand over the animal. The villagers first refused but complied when the journalists threatened legal action. Thereafter, the gibbon was handed over to the Forest Department staff and they brought him to CWRC.

Since the exact cause of displacement is not yet ascertained, it can only be speculated that the gibbon must have been caught for trade. When the gibbon was handed over to CWRC veterinarians, it was observed that he was extremely violent and had to be chemically restrained. External examination on the animal revealed that he wasn’t able to move the digits on his right foot.

The western hoolock gibbon at CWRC.

IFAW-WTI veterinarian, Dr Panjit Basumatary, is currently tending to the animal and is awaiting results of all the tests before he decides on the next course of action. “We are awaiting all the results and if the animal is found to be clear of all diseases, he might join the three other gibbons in the facility. Since the gibbon is presently quite aggressive, we will wait before deciding on whether to put it with other gibbons. Until then, the animal will remain in quarantine,” he said.

Since its inception, four western hoolock gibbons and one eastern hoolock gibbon have been admitted to CWRC and out of these, one has been released back into the wild. The rest are still at CWRC.