Guwahati: As the world observed International Gibbon Day on Friday, conservation efforts in Northeast India were highlighted.
“Happy International Gibbon Day! Let’s celebrate India’s only ape – the Western Hoolock Gibbon! This unique primate, found exclusively in the northeastern states on the southern bank of the Dibang–Brahmaputra River system is a true treasure of our forests. Let’s work together to protect its home and ensure that its melodious calls continue to echo through the wild for generations to come,” Aaranyak stated on social media platforms.
Environmental organisation Aaranyak joined the global celebration with a reminder to protect the Western Hoolock Gibbon, India’s only ape and a symbol of the country’s tropical biodiversity.
Found exclusively in the northeastern states, this rare primate moves through the canopies along the southern bank of the Dibang–Brahmaputra river system.
Its calls, echoing at dawn, have been described by researchers as “the music of a living forest.” Agile, expressive, and closely bonded to its family group, the Western Hoolock Gibbon (Hoolock hoolock) reflects both the beauty and vulnerability of India’s forests.
In Assam, the species lives in scattered forest patches that still echo with its calls. The Hoollongapar Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary in Jorhat, the only sanctuary in India named after the ape, remains the most secure habitat, hosting over a hundred gibbons in its dense evergreen canopy.
“This forest is not just home to the gibbons; it’s a heartbeat of our ecological heritage,” said a local forest officer.
Further east, the riverine woodlands of Dibru–Saikhowa National Park and Borajan–Bherjan–Podumoni Wildlife Sanctuary shelter small, isolated families of gibbons surviving amid fragmented forests. In the south, Dehing Patkai, often called “the Amazon of the East,” continues to host several gibbon groups despite threats from mining and deforestation. The species also lives in Kakoijana Reserve Forest in Bongaigaon, where community-led conservation has been effective. “We protect the trees because the gibbons protect our forest,” said a villager.
Other areas include Nameri, Garbhanga, Nambor–Doigrung, and the forested corridors of Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao, forming a network of habitats. Together, they represent the remaining green threads connecting Assam’s gibbon populations.
These threads are under pressure. “Each time a forest falls silent, humanity loses a note from nature’s orchestra,” warned a biologist from Tinsukia.
Fragmented forests, expanding human settlements, and infrastructure projects continue to isolate gibbon groups, affecting breeding and survival.
“The Western Hoolock Gibbon is not just an animal , it is a guardian of our forests, a symbol of balance and beauty. Saving it means saving our own ecological future,” said a wildlife Conservationist.
Experts note that involving local communities is key. “True conservation begins when those living beside the forest become its guardians,” said an ecologist.
In Kakoijana and Hoollongapar, this approach has already shown results, offering a model for the region.
As dusk falls over Assam’s forested hills, the calls of a gibbon pair move through the canopy, a sound both ancient and delicate.
“If we listen closely, the forest still sings but only if we choose to let it live,” said a wildlife Conservationist in Digboi.