HT Correspondent
DIBRUGARH, AUG 8: A male Hoolock Gibbon was found dead at Barekuri Jahukhowa in upper Assam Tinsukia district on Monday morning.
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Barekuri area is just 7 kms from Tinsukia and a habitat of Hoolock Gibbon. The villagers love the animals belonging to the endangered species and most of the Hoolock Gibbons have a friendly relation with the villagers.
Talking to this correspondent, Diplob Chutia, president of Barekuri eco-development committee said, “Today morning, we found a Hoolock Gibbon lying dead on the ground. We immediately informed the forest officials about the matter. The forest team and vets came and confirmed the death of the Hoolock Gibbon,”.
“Now, we have only 18 Hoolock Gibbons in the Barekuri area. Earlier, most of the Hoolock Gibbons in Barekuri died due to electrocution. We have given a project for the conservation of Hoolock Gibbon in Barekuri but till now the project has not been sanctioned,” Chutia said.
The lifespan of a Hoolock Gibbon is roughly 30 to 35 years in the wild and 40 to 50 years in captivity.
From 34 Hoolock Gibbons in 2003 to just 18 this year, the species which has co-existed with humans at Barekuri, now faces the threat of further loss of numbers.
“The Hoolock Gibbons of Barekuri village are in danger of extinction. The government is not doing anything for the protection of the endangered species. Due to industrialization and gas which comes out from the OIL India Limited(OIL) the species has been threatened. Tourists comes to this village to see Hoolock Gibbons and yet the government has not taken any steps for the protection of the monkey species,” alleged Debojit Moran, a conservationist.
He said, “In 2018-19, a meeting was held in Tinsukia for the protection and conservation of the Hoolock Gibbons of the Barekuri village but till date nothing has been done. The Hoolock Gibbons of the Barekuri village are facing a threat of being extinct. The Forest Department should act immediately for the protection of the endangered species”.
The Hoolock Gibbons are facing serious threat- and just from the interaction with humans. They are listed as ‘endangered’ by the IUCN, their population has dwindled by 90% in the last 30 years because of their increasingly fragmented habitat.
Hoolocks are particularly vulnerable because of their almost exclusively arboreal existence.
