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Home , Phawngpui National Park

ISS 0375- 5

Rec. zool. Suru. : 113(Part-4): 193..:212, 2013

SING NG AND SWING NG AP - : THE HOOL'CK GIBB'ON OF INDIA

R. P. MUKHERJEE* AND V. C. AGR_AWAL $. *CD-292, Salt Lake, Kolkata ]:00064, India **554 - Parnasree Palli, Behala, Kolkata - 700060, India

INTRODUCT ON Bunop'ithecus (with 2 spec'es), Hy~obates (with 15 The Hoolock gibbon. Hylobates hoolock, is spec~ , es) .. N,omas,cus (w'th 9 species) a' d familiar by its song and special w,ay of Syamphalan:gus (with 2 species) (Brandan-Jones et. locomotion, known as brachiation. It uses its aL, 2004). However, the taxonomy o · the Hoolock extremely long arms for swinging from one gibbon has reoently been revised and gibbons branch to the other or from tree to tree with have been placed " I t1() the genus Hoolock and spFt incredible speed. The gibbon hardly leaves the int"O two djscrete species, the Western Hoolock forest and is seldom destructive to ground crops. G'bbon, H. Molock (Fig.3)1 and the Easte Th@ ,gibbons, smallest amo ,g the apes, are Hoolock G~bbon, H. leuconedys (Fig.4) (Mootnick represented by 16 species. The Hoolock gibbon or and Groves.. 2005). Many workers conside ed the white browed gibbon, is the only ape found in these two species as distinct sub-species. India. The rest of the species are found out side The field studies on gibbons were started in this ,country. It occurs in all the seven states of la~e 1930's with the pioneering study on Lar Northeastern India. Gibbons we also known as gibbon, in Thailnd. The studies were resumed in Lesser ,or smaller apes. The distribution of 1960's ,on the Lar gibbon ,and Siaman-S in Malaya Western hoolock, H. hoolock, is restricted to the Peninsula. This was followed by extensive studies evergr'een rain forests of Northeastern India, of different species U1 Malaysia and Indonesia, By extending ivom south of Br,ahmaputra river 1980's ,comprehensive studies were undertaken system to and and also in on most

Dis,tributian : Fragment~d distribution in two biodiversity hot spots in India, the other ,0 tbeast,e n dia- south and east of being the Western Ghats in southern India. Brahmaputra river extending up to south-eastern Among all the other animal communities, the part of Dibong river in Arunachal Pradesh-the non-human primates ~orm an important group of southern limit in India is Mizoram. Also found in animals in this region. The Hoolock gibbon that eastern Bangladesh, southern China and northern shares this habitat is sympatric with other non~ Myanmar. human primates of the region and they subsist together. MUKHERJEE & AGRAWAL: Singing and Swinging Ape: The Hoolck Gibbon of fudia 195

Table-l: Geographical aJ}ea, % of forest ,cover, %of dense forest and forest types in seven states of Northeastern India.

States Geo,graphical 0/0 of forest %ofdense FOJ:esttypeti area (km1 eov,er forest I I Assam 78,438 30.2 18,5 lSW,STBH,$TP, TMD,ISE,TWE. Arunachal Pradesh 83,743 82.2 68.'9 MWT,SAF,STP, TWE Meghalaya ~429 69.7 26.4 STP, TMD, ISE, TWE

Mizoram 2 1 ,08 86.9 '7.9 SfP, TMD, TWE T 'pur,a 10, 92 54.8 21.2 STBH,'TMD 16,579 8~L4 30,'9 MWT,STP, IMO, TWE Manipur 22,327 77.9 26.,6 MWT,S ' P,TS

2 Abbreviation: LSW-Littoral and Swamp. (3,436km ), district council reserved forests MWT- Montane wet temperate. SAF-Sub-alpme ( 1081km~), pI'oposed reserve forests (2,815kmJ 2 forest. STBH~ Su~ tropical broad leav,ed hill. STP~ and unclassified for'ests (5,894km ). There ,are 23 Sub ~ tropical pine. TMDetropical moist protect,ed areas 'Of which 5 are National deciduous. TSE~ Tropical semieevergreen. TWE~ Parks(1,969km), which constitute about 2.5% of Tropical wet evergreen. the total geographical area, and 18 Wildlife Lowland rain forests, the ideal habitat of Sanctuaries (1,440km), which are about 1.9% of Hoolock gibbon(Fig.6), in all the seven states of the total geographical area (Gupta ,eLal., 2005). Northern India is one of the richest terrestrial The state ,of Assam is c,omposed of mountainous ecosystems. However, this ideal habitat is greatly areas and flood plains. It is surrounded by hill damaged by biotic disturbanoes. The types of states li~e Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, forests found in this region aJ1e ranging from Mizo am, Manipur, Nagaland, Tripura and the 2 tropical moist deciduous, tropical wet ,evergreen kingdom of Bhutan. Till 1980's, out of 78,438km and semi"green, and sub..tropical broad leaved, area of Assam, i.e., more than 33% was covered pine and alpine forests to montane wet temperate, with forests. owev,er" in recent years, it has swamp and secondary forests. The Hoolock reduced to about 30%1 due to v,ariOllS factors. gibbons mostly inhabit wet ever,green forests and The state of Mizor,am consists of hill ranges less in deciduous and scrub forests (Gupta et.. al., which run in north-south direction. The state is 2005). The trees found in these forests are mostly situated between 2ff20' to 24'21' latitude and Sal, moist deciduous, savannah, riverine, etc. The 92'20' to 93°29' E longitude. The average height of climbers are ,cornmon and the forest floor is the hills are about 1000m. The forests are of three cove~ed with scrub and ferns. In the ational types - tropical wet evergre~ tropical moist Parks, Reserve Forests and Wildlife Sanctuaries, deciduous and montane sub-tropical. Deciduous the 'trees are generally tall with close ,canopy. forests, grassland and evergreen forests are f-ound Geographical ,area, percentage of forest cover, at higher altitude. The total f,orest cover is about per,centage of dense forest and forest types of each 15,935km2 (about 75.59% of the total g,eographlcal state are giv.enin Table-I. area). The forest is a mixed one, with v,arious Assam is the second largest in geographical species of bamboo confined to the lower areas of area after Arunachal Pradesh. In this state, the the forests. Various species of orchids are found in 2 forest cwea of 28, 185km2 is divided into 36 forest this state. The pr.at-ected ar,eas ,are about 1200km divisions. Nearly half 'Of this ar'ea at present 'can be which constitute roughly 6 % of t-otal geographjcal considered as dense and the r,emaining as open area. The protected areas in Mizoram are the best (Guptaet.al.,2005). in Northeastern India. 'The monsoon rain is very heavy, 20004000mm. There are 2 National Parks, These forests ,can further be classified as one Reserve and 9 W'ldlife Sanctuaries in reserved ~orests (14,958km~), protected forests 196 Rec. zoot SUrl}. Indw

Mizoram. There is a proposal for setting up more geographical area is dense forest. The forest cover sanctuaries in the state. has ,considerably reduced due to practice of Arunachal Pr,adesh is the biggest state in shifting cultivation. The forests are tropical wet evergreen, tropical moist deciduous, mountane Northeastern India (26 (j28" ~2g'31 ' N and '91°3o.' ~ wet temperate ,and su~tropical pine. The state has 91'30.' E). The state is rich in fQrest ,cover. It is about 2 one National Park and 3 Wildlite Sanctuaries. 68, 62o.km which accounts to about 81.9% of the total geographical area. This is the highest forest The Manipur is also vlery rich in forest cover among the seven north-eastern states of resouroes ,and is covered by plains and hills. The India. The closed and the open canopy cover forest area oonstitutes about 17,418km2 which is consist of about 79. .4% and 20..6% respectively. about 78 % of the total geographical ,area of the The reserve ,and the district community fon~sts state. The reserved and protected forests cover are cover an area of 37.3 % and 62.2 % respectively. The about 9.7'% and 27.5'% respectively and the forests w@ tropical, sub-tropical, temperate, Pine, unclassified and private forests cover about Alpine and Secondary. 62.8 %. The presence of autonomous areas in 6 Th@ state is mostly hilly and sparsely districts are further cause of this faulty land use. populated and is divided into three sections Viz7 'The unclassed forested areas are controlled and high hills, foot hills and flood plains. Th@ altitude managed bytbe councils. 1ms multilevel control varies from 5o.min the foot hills to about 7,o.Oo.m in of forest lands is the reason for the loss of f,orest cov,er to the tune of km2 within a span of 6 the northern parts of the state. The soil in the 267 majority of the area is rocky. There are 2 ational years i.e. between 1991 and 1997. The state Parks and 11 Wildlife Sanctuaries. though lose the area of dense forest but it,gains the open forest are,a. The practice of shlftin,g The whole of Meghalaya is a plateau (25°5'_ cultiv.ation leads to huge reduction in forest cov'er. 26°10.' and 89°471-9t47' E). The weste I T central The state has one National Park of about 40km2 and eastern paIts commonly known as GaX>o, and 5 Wildlife Sanctuaries covlering an ,area of Khasiand Ja'ntia hi! s rlespectively. he 2 185km • topogr,aphy is irregular. The type of forests are tropical, sub-tropical and temper,ate. The tropical The Tripura is located between 22°56' and 6 forests are confined to 1,2o.Om elevation and 24~21 latitude ,and 91°09"and 92 20' Elongitude. l temperate forests between 1,200. to l,8o.Om The total forest cover's 7,065km of which 2 2 elevations. Bamboo forests also grow within these 3,463km is dense forest and 3}602km open forest. 2 forest types. The ,state is rich in a variety of Out of this, about 3,588 km are reserved forest 2 orchids. The total area of forest is about 9,496 kml and 2,195km as unclassified. which is ,about 42.3 % of total geographical area. The type of forest vary from east Himalayan The dense and 'open forest areas ·are ,about 25.8% lower bhabar Sal, tropical evergreen, moist mixed and 74.2'% respectively. About 89.5% of forest is deciduous, low alluvial sav,annah woodland, dry under the control of autonomous district council. bamboo breaks and secondary moist bamboo The forest department contr'ols only 1.0.5% of the breaks. Hill ranges of Tripura ,are in close forests as reserved and protected ar'eas. There are continuity with the Chittagong hill tracts of 5 protected at'eas out of which 2 ,are National Bangladesh and the hills .of southern Assam. Parks and 3 are Wildlife Sanctuaries. About 30.'% of the total area of the state is under 'The N agaland is also rich in forest resources autonomous district council. There are 4 the forest cover of the state is 14,221km2 i.e. about Sanctuaries in the state. 86% of the land area. About 0.9% ,of the forest area In the NortheastemIndia, the lay of the land is is reserved iorest. Protected ,and the unclassified flat with gentle slopes and high hills. Plains and private forests are about 5.9% and 93.1 % of the hills form the whol@ area and the elevation varies total forest land respectively. About 30..9% of the from place to place. It is as low as 33m in Assam to MUKHERJEE & AGRAWAL: Singing and Swinging Ape: The Hoolck Gibbon of fudia 197

1,260-1..400m in Arunachal Pradesh. The dimate ndia (Fig.1) .. is now not ,continuous in is characterized as sub-tropical.. with hot and wet distribution but is found in fr,agmented areas summer and cold dry winter. The rivers originate (Fig.2). Its population is drastically reduced;t as is from the high hills of Himalaya's. The longest evident by some rec,ent reports. Some population, among them is the Brahmaputra, which criss~ in certain areas, hav,e lost so many members that cross the plains and runs north~south , . Its only.a few indiViduals are left in isolated habitats tributaries drain the plains and forests. During and ,cut of from the main population. 'These tiny monsoon, when the rain is heavy, these rivers populations as a result ,of inbreeding have no over-flow and inundate many areas including the future and are unlikely to surviv,e for long. Alfred reserve forests and National Parks. These rivers and Sati (1990) surveyed 200 localities in GaI'lO though very turbulent during the monsoon ar~ hills, Me,ghalaya, for the presence of Hoo1ock practically dry during the winter and the summer gibbons but recorded them only in 32 localities. months. The tract at places are formed by As~f, ar~as the information goes the remaining 168 boulders and gr,av,elly sand. The top soil consists localities had gibbons in ~he past but now they of humus, varying from almost . to ,ove 30cm', have disappeared. These forest patches are ow ~hickness. The rainy season lasts from June to separated from each 'Other. Oc~ober.. the sununer from March to Mayor Ju e This species is now treated as 'One of the and the wint~r from _ ov,ember t'O February. The world's 25 most endangered primates and is likely coldest months are Decembe and January. The to become 'extinct faster than expected, because snow falls at the high altitude during the winter they are ,arboreal, frugivorous, highly territorial, months. I e wint~r and the summer r,ains ar'e ,also brachiater, monogamous, and of low common. Rivers and streams a1e the main source reproductive out put. In r-ecent years, the of water supply. AI ost the entit,e ra', occurs population .of hoolock gibbon were wiped out in during the monsoon period. At times.. mild frost 18 localities in India and Bangladesh in just 3 to 5 also occurs in low-lying areas during the winter years. Mukhelj'ee et.al., (1986.. 2008) reported that months. SlX groups '0£ this ape were wiped out in Tripura DISTRIBUTION within a period of six years. 'The vibrant economy of the over-populated The hoolock gibbon is distributed in develop g countries of Asia and Africa is largely Northeastern India, south of Brahmaputra river dependant on 'exploitation of natural resources (Dibong-Brahmaputra river system), from including the forest. The no -human primates Arunchal Pradesh to Mizoram and Manipur. inhabit these forests. The loss and fragmentation Outside India it is found in Bangladesh, southern of the forests have an adverse eftect on their Yunnan in China to w'est of Chindwin riv'er in population in general and Hoolock ,gibbon in Myanmar. particular. FOl'est survey of India l'ecendy made According to Groves (1967) the distribution of an estimation of forest cover in India and came to H. h. hoolock ,and H.h.leuconedys are demarcated by the conclusion that the country had lost almost two rivers.. Chindwin and Irrawaddy.. in 5,500km2 of forest in two year's period. Hoolock Myanmar. H. h. hootock occurring west and gibbon, the only ape found in India, inhabits the H.h.leuconedys to the ,east of Chindwin river. The dense, contiguous, broad leaved, wet evergreen distribution of H.h.leuconedys continues 'east as far forests of Northeastern India from 100m to about as the Salw,een river in Myanmar. I owever.. Das 1,400m altitude, upto 2,500m ,estimated by d. al., (2006) has reported the occurrence of H. h. Choudllury, 2006, is alfed-ed by these loss and leuccmedys in Lohit district of Arunachal Pradesh. fra,gmentation of the forests. Detailed present distribution is given in Table 2. The species, once well distributed and In Arunachal Pradesh, the gibbons were abundant in all the seven states of Northeastern reported from Subansiri district till 1975 (Borang 198 Rec. zoot SUrl}. Indw

Table-2:DistrihutionofHoolockgibboninProtectedaIleasofNortheasrernhldia(Chetryet.al.2007)

States Protected Areas Total area(km~ Arunachal Pradesh. Kamlang Wildlife Sanctuary. 680.00 Mehao Wildlife Sanctuary. 281.50 Namdapha ational Park. 1985.00 Assam Amchan,g WildHfeSanctuary. 79.100 Barall Wilcllif-eSanctuary. 326.00 BherjQneBorajan e Pooumaru Wildlife SaJ1ctuaxy. 7.21 O'bu-Saikhow National Park 340.00 Dihing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary. 111.00 EastKarbi Anglong Wildlife Sanctuary. 221.81 Garampani Wildlif"@Sanctuary. ,6.05 HoIlongaparGibbonSanctuary. 20.'98 Kaman,ga. ational Park ,860.00 Max-at Longri WildJifeSanctuaxy. 451.00 Nambor-Doigrun.g Wildlife Sanctua..ry. 97.15 NamborwildlUe Sanctuary. 37.. 100 NorthKarbi Anglong WlldIif-eSanctuary (Proposed). 96.100 Manipur Bunning WildJifeSanctuary. 15.80 JirieMahu Wildlife SaJ\ctua..ry. 198.00 Kailam Wildlife Sanctuary. 157.80 Yangoupokpi Lokchao WildUfeSanKtuary 184.00 Zeilad WildlileSanctuary 21.100 Meghalaya Bghmara Pitcher Plant WildlUe Sanctuary 000.102 BalpakbramNational Park 220.00 NokrekNational PaIk 47.48 Nongkhyllem Wildlife Sanctua..ry 29.00 Siju WildUfeSanctuary 5.18 Mizoram Dampa National Park 500.00 Khaumglung Wildli1e Sanctuary 41.100 Lengten-8 WUdUfe Sanctuaxy ,80.00 MudenNationalPark 150.00 NgenpuiNational Park 110.00 National Park 50,,00 Tawi Wildlife Sanctuary 3'7:75 Nagaland Fakim Wildlif-e Sanctuary ,6.42 Intaki 2Q2.00 ipur,a Gumn Wildl' eSanctuary 389.50 T . shna Wildlife Sanctuary 194.70 and Thapliyal, 1993) and also from the f,orests of groups of Hoolock gibbon from primary and Banderdeva, a place close to Itanagar, eV'efi in 1978 secondary forests respectively in Tripur,a. Groups (Mukherjee e,t. al ., 2008). of gibbon have been reported from the forests inside the villages, particularly m Meghalaya and I the past, no docu I ent was available about Arunachal Pradesh and occasionally in the village ~he distribution ,and status of hoolock gibbon in orchards. The villagers are tolerant to these Bangl adesh and Myarunar. In recent years some field studies on gibbons have been injtiatd in village groups. Out of 7 Northeastern states, Bangladeshbutp ,a,cticallynothing's own fro Assam is probably the only state where extensive Myanmar, field studies have been carried out ,and some

documents ar-e ,available. The Annual Report ee IT Inspite of the studies conducted on Hoolock (1995 ee 1996) of Indo~US PrImate Project reported gibbon in ortheastern India, Its status is not the pr-esence of Hoolock Gibbon £Vom about 19 conclusively known, ,except some information on areas and Gupta et. ,aL (2005) reported from 13 the groups inhabiting the protECted ,areas. Recent p ot-ected areas, 2 N,ational Parks and 11 Wildlife studies show that the populations are equally SanctuaIies, in Assam. good in ,outside the protected areas as well ,as in village fOf'eats. Gupta (1994) recorded 18 and 9 As regards the remaining states practically nothing is known about the gibbon populations. MUKHERJEE & AGRAWAL: Singing and Swinging Ape: The Hoolck Gibbon of India 199

Table-3 : Location of gibbon groups in different habitats of Meghalaya (Gupta et.al.200S with certain additions and amendments).

SI. Location No. of groups in protected ,areas No. of groups outside proted ed axeCls I RF NP WLS VF ADP PF Total °1 I 1. NaIpuh-I 3 ~ - e - 2 05

2. Narpuhell 3 ~ e e - 2 05

3. Corridor - ~ e 6 ~ 1 07 4. SijuWlS e e 2 1 1 - 04 5. BalphakramNP - 1 - 1 1 - 03 I ,6. Baghmara 5 - - - - - OS '7. Nongkhyllum WLS 4 - 10 - - 1 15

8. West Guo Hills ~ 1 - 38- -- 39 Total 15 2 12 46 2 <6 83 %of opulationin 34.'94 protected areas %ofpopulationm 65.06 outside protected I areas Abbreviation: ADP-Adjacent to protected Areas. NP-National Park PF-Private Forests. RF-Reserved Forests. VF-VillageF,orests. WLS-WildlifeSanctuary.*Songachamis treated as Vill ageF,orests. However, gibbons are known to occur in Sanctuaries in Nagaland but no confirm reports

Kamlan~gar and Mehao Wildlife Sanctuaries1 are available. Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary and Namdapha Gupta.et ai., (2005) studies in prot@ct@d are,as National Park in Arunachal Pradesh and 5 of Meghalaya, Mizoram and Tripura and Wildlife Sanctuaries, namely, Jiri- makru, Kellam rev,e,aled that a lar,ge population of gibbons still hill, Yangoupokpi- Lockchao, Zeilad and live outside the protected ar,eas and village Bururing in Manipur. They ,are supposed to oc"Cur forests. These populations are under constant in Intaki, Fakim and Pulie-Bad,ge Wildlife p][lessure of their survival. The information

'Table-4 : Location of gibbon groups in dif~erent habitats of Mizotam ~Gupta et.al., 2005 with certain additions ,and amendments).

Sl.No Location No. of groups in protected afeas I No. of groups outside protected ,areas I RF NP WLS I VF ADP Total I 1 Oampa TLger Reserve 10 ------10 2 'genpuiWLS - --- 4 5 1 10 3 LengtengWLS - --- 6 6 -- 12 4 MurlenNP -- 2 - --- 2 04 5 Khawnglung WLS _e - 9 10 -- 19

,6 TawiWlS !!!O!!!!!e! ~~ 1 13 ~ 14

7 Phawngpui NP ~- 3 ~ ~~ -e~ 03 Total 10 5 20 34 3 72

% of population in 48.61 protecte d areas % of population in 51.39 outside protected areas. I I Abbreviation: ADP-Adjacent to Prot-eoted Areas. NP-Na,tional PaIk. RF- Reserve Forests. VF- Village Forests. WLS- Wildlife Sanctua..ry. 200 Rec. zoot Surv. Indw

T.able 5 • Location of gibbon groups in different habitats of Tripura ~Gupta 'et.ai.2005 with ,certain additions and amendments).

Location No. of groups in protected Uleas o. of groups outside proteded areas SI. No I RF p WLS PF VF PF*RF Total 1. Phuldansai 3 - -- - - .03 2. Betbingship - - -- - 5 .05 3. Sabul - - - 3 - - .03 4. Conzai - - - 1 - - 01 5. Vangmung 11 - - 4 - - 15 6. Manu(N. Tila) - - - - - 1 01 7. Kanchanchera 1 - -- - - 01 8. Laxmanpar,a - - -- - 1 01 9. Chamanu 1 - -- - - 01 10. Dewachera - - -- - 1 01 11. Tha1chera - - - - - 1 01 12. Ambasa 1 - - - -- 001 13. Harinchera 1 - - - - - 01 14. Gangana,gar 1 - -- -- .01 15. Khowakhera 1 - - · -- 01 16. Noonchera 1 - · · -- 001 17. Gandachera 1 - · · -- 01 18. Jiyalchera 1 - · · -- 01 19. Trishna . - 1 · -- 01

e e I Total 23 1 8 9 41 % of population in 58.54 Protected areas. % of population 41.46 outside Protec~ed areas. Abbreviation: NP- National Park, RF- Reserve Forests. VF- Village Forests. PF- Private Forests. WLS­ Wildlife Sanctuary. regarding the distribution ,of gibbons collected by 6700 gibbons in Assam, with a population of 600- ~hem from the t}ulee states are given in Tab es 3-5. 700 in 0 th Cachar H'I}S, ,and 100-, 300 " POPULATION ESTIMATION Cacha.1', Hailal

'The repot ,of the Popu1 ation and Habitat 15 were bisexual.groups whernas one was ,all male Viability Assessment (PHVA) workshop (20OS) group of7 members.

Table 6: Population estimate and social,composition of Hoolock gibbon in difierent locations at Me.ghalaya (Gupta d.al., 2005 wjthcertain additions and amendments).

SI.No· 1 Location Mode / No. of groups Total No. Social Composition. I Total Area(kml) of groups PC SO '81' AD AD I JJ IT I Male flmaale 1. I Narpuh-I 5 - - 5 - - - - - 9.2 2. arpuh-II 2 3 - 5 --- - - 9.1 3. Corridor - 7 - 7 - - - - - 18.2 4. SijuWLS - 3 1 4 - 1 - - 1 4.1 5. Balphakram NP 1 1 1 3 1 1 1 - 3 6.0 6. 8aghmara 1 3 1 5 1 1 2 1 5 5.0 7. NongkhyUum WLS - 12 3 15 3 3 3 3 12 28.1 8. I WestGaro Hills 20 3 16 39 23 18 17 9 67 179.5 Total 29 32 22 83 28 24 23 13 88 259.2 I P@l'oent-a.ge 34.94 38.55 26.51 I I Distribution,of a 3.12 group I I Abbreviation: PC~Personal Communication. SO~ Song. ST ~ Sighting. A~ Adult. JJ~ Juvenile, n~ Infant. Wrs. Wildlife Sanctuary. NP-National Park. 202 Rec. zoot Surv. Indw

Table 7: Population ,estimate and social composition of Hoolock gibbon in diffellent location at Mizoram (Gupta et.al. of 2005 with certain additions ~nd amendments) . SL o. Location Mode / No. of groups TotalNQ. Social Composition. Total Area(kroj ofgmups PC SO ST AD I AD I JJ U Male Female I 1. OampaTR 2 6 2 10 2 2 1 1 6 29.4 2. NgenpuiWlS 8 2 - 10 - - - - - 33.7 3. Lengten.g WLS 8 4 - 12 - - - - - 73.5 4. MurlenNP 4 - - 04 - - - - - 46.0 5. Khawangung WlS 8 11 - 19 - - - - - 48.0 6. TawiWlS '7 6 1 14 1 1 - 1 3 46.6 7. PhawngphuLNP 2 1 - 03 - - - - - 23.5

Total 39 30 3 72 3 I 3 I 1 2 I 9 I 300.7 I Percenta8e 54.16 41.67 4 .17 - - - ~~ ~ I I Distribution of 4.1,8 a group I I I AbbreviaiUm: PC-Per,sonal Communication. SO-Song. 8T-S ightlng. Ad-Adult. JJ- Juvenile. 1I- Infant. WLS-Wildlife Sanctuary. NP~ National Park TR~Tiger Reserve.

Table-8: Population estimate and social composition of Hoolock gibbon in diffel'ent locations at Tripura (Gupta et.al. 2005 with ,certain additions and amendments).

SLNo. Location Mode / No. ,of groups Total No. Social Composition. Total Area(km~) of groups PC SO ST AD AD JJ I Male fiIDlElJe I 1. Phuldansai 2 1 - 3 2 2 - - 4 4 2. Bethingship 5 -- 5 - -- - - 3 3. SabuL - 2 1 3 1 1 - - 2 5 4. Conzai - - 1 1 1 1 - 1 3 3 5. Vangmung 5 '9 1 15 1 -- - 1 14 6. Manu (N.TiUa) 1 -- 1 - -- - - 4 7. Kanchan-chera - - 1 1 2 1 - - 3 9 8. Laxmanpara - 1 - 1 ------

9. Chama:nu ~ ~ ~ - ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

10. DewaChera 1 ~ ~ 1 1 2 e 3 ~

11. Thalchera 1 ~ ~ 1 ~ ~ ~ - e ~ 12. Ambasa ------13 .. Harinchera - - 1 1 2 -- - 2 Ail male Group 14. Gangana,gar - 1 - 1 ------

5. Khowaicher,a ~ 1 ~ 1 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

1,6. NQQIlChera ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 4 1'7. Gandachera ~ ~ 1 ~ ~ ~ - ~ ~ 18. JiyaJchera - - 1 1 2 - - - 2 All male Group 19. Trishna - - 2 2 2 2 - 1 5 7

T,Qtaj ~ 16 15 .08 39 l4l 09 02 I 2S 53 Percentage 41.03 38.46 20.51 I I Distribution of 1.36 a group I I Abbreviation: PC~ Personal communication. so... Song. ST- Sighting. Ad-Adult. D Juvenile. II- Infant. MUKHERJEE & AGRAWAL: Singing and Swinging Ape: The Hoolck Gibbon of India 203

Blanford (1888-91) had observed , ~oups of 5 activity starts earlier in the summer than winter. to 100 individuals and more and also recorded In the winter months, the gibbons on waking up, solitary males occasionally. Groups with more bask in the sun for some time on high branches by than ,one adult male or more than one bveeding exposing their back towards the sun light. Then adult female have also been reported by him. they start their morning feeding ,activity by The occurrence of all male groups have also been r-eaching to the ends of the twigs to nibble at the reported by some field workers. Gupta et.,al., buds, fruits or young leaves. (2005) gave the social composition of Hoolock Hoolock gibbons usually remain ,active for 8- gibbon of three states, Meghalaya, Mizor,am ,and 10 hours every day, starting at dawn or in the Tripura (Tables 6~8), based on the personal early morning till late afternoon, except during communication by local peopl,e and forest staff, the rainy day. Usually they defecate and urinate call ,of the ,gibbons and sightings. The sighting of just before or after leaving their sleeping trees. the groups, which is mor'e authentic than ,any 'Then they start feeding which gradually peaks up other method, was limit~d in comparison to the as the day proceeds. How,ever, their feedin,g o the , two I ethods in all the three states. activity is not a continuous process and is usually Hoolock gibbons of both sexes emigrate from interrupted with frequent spells of rest. Durin,g their natal groups on maturity (Gupta et.al., 2005). the f,eeding period they feed, r-est and move by Maturity is reached from four to six years. On brachiation from tree to tree in search of £ood. reaching the maturity the members are driv,en With the rise in the day temperature their ,activity away from the group by the parents. The new generally slows down and mid~ day is invariably groups ,can be formed by pairing of father and spent in resting. This period of rest is short during daught,er, pairing of brother and sister, the winter and long in the summer months. emigration and subsequent re ~mating or Hoolock gibbons can feed in sitting and dispersed sub-adult pair formation (Ahsan, 2001). suspendin~ positions. They feed on leaves, buds, The ,adult males might resort to polygamy! flowers, fruits, insects, bird's eggs etc. Though though rare, in sexually imbalanced groups in they feed

'The Hoo1ock gibbon is placed in Appendix~I cuJtivation), conversion of forest lands into of CITES, which lists species that are threat-ened agricultural lands, ,encroachment of fOf1est for with extinction. It is ranked endangered under settlement purposes... extracting ti~ber (legally or IUCN (ENA1 CD) Red Data List. The Indian illegally), collectton of fuel wood, minin,g, Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 placed the species expansion of communication network, in schedule-I. It is treat~d as endangered under construction of dams, irrigation and hyde! Red Data Book of ndian Animals,1994. These p ojects, explor,atio I of 'oil and gas fields ,are some classifications mean 'that the species is fadn~ a of the factors for the loss of viable hab' tat of very high risk of extinction in days to come. Hoo10ck gibbon. Alfred and Sati(1990) while surv,eying the West Garo Hills of Meghalaya The species is threatend due t-o habitat loss... recorded '75% of ,gibbon population near the poor quality of habitat, fragmented distribution, village forest. They have also noted that adult hunting for food and slow reproductiv,e rate. maJes and adult females oomprised of nearly 67% In the past gibbons were ev'en common in the while the non-breeding population comprised foot hill forests o · Sibsagar, Assam... but their only 33'% of the whole pop I ation. The occurrence population now decreased considerably. The last of ,a large population in non-protected areas and Hoolock vanjshed from Diroi or Rangoli reserve low percentage of non-breeding population are forest sometime in 197IQ's. Though no re,asons are the cause of great concern for their conservation. known but their ' I umbe decline to as low as 10-15 The small isolated populations in fragmented (Chowdhury, 1988). habitats, cut of from the rest of the populations, Chowdhury (2000) stated that population of lead to inbreeding, thus, become genetically Hoolock gibbon in Dibru~Saikhowa National weak. 206 Rec. zoot Surv. Indw

The Armual Report of Indo-US Primate populations due to loss and hagmentation oOf their Project (August 1998-July, 1999) revealed that habitats. Forest report oOf India suggested that Hoolock ,gibbons in Borajan Reserve Forest were during a two year period mom 1995 to 1997 there reduced from 11 groups, consisting 'of 34 is a loss of 5,500 km2 of forest land and it reflects on individuals, in 1995 to 5 groups and 11 the dwi, d in,g populations 0 forest'ving individuals in 1999, a decline of 68%, and were prirnatesr including the Hoolock gibbon of living in an isolated ,area with a few wees. Thus, Northeastern India. they had to move on the ground for access to other The 'conservation problem of Hoolock gibbon food Wees. This population was represented by in all the seven states of Northeastern India is only 20% immature gibbons. almost the same. 'The major factoOr is the loss and Hunting of gibbons in certain parts of fragmentation of habitats and in some states it Northeastern India is also the ,cause of concern to reached to an alarming stage. its population. They ~e hunted for food and for Recent studies indicate that substantive their various body organs which are used for population of Hoolock gibbon liv,e outside the medicinal purpose by certain tribes. prot,@,ct,ed areas in Meghalay,a (65.06%), Although HoOolock gibbons ar'e Ie,gally Mizoram(51.39%) and Tripur,a(41.46%). This proOtected but the laws ,are not strktly creates the manag'@ffi@nt problem and make the . plemented which's cause of great conoern for conserv,ation efforts more difficult. This also its conservation. suggests that the unprot,ected areas are also The simulation Modeling Working Groups of potential sites for the survival of gibbons and Population and Habitat Viability Assessment need greater attention. (PHVA) Workshop Report (20OS) stated that there Hoolock gibbons are arboreal frugivor'ous is a very high probability of extinction of and monogamous. They liv,e in small family populations of less than 15 ~ , I dividuals within 20 groOupsand their activity is restricted mostly to years, It applies to more than 80% of existing upper and midcUe canopy. Thus, they are very popu atio of Westem Hoolock Gibbon (WHG) " sensitive to any change in their habitats. Gibbons India and Bangladesh. FoOr populations more than live long and their reproOductive output are low, 15 individuals, the probability 'of extinction is which me,ans that ev,en they are provided with ,an increased with hi,gher levels of adult mortalities, ideal environment the populations ,can not go negativ,e trend " _carrying capacity and hunting, beyond a oertainlimit. which are common factors aff~ctin~ most of ~he Since the Hoolock ,gibbons ,are frUgiVOfiOUS wild Western Hoolock Gibbon populations. The they need large are,as ~o explore foOr their food largest population of 156 individuals in India is resouroes, as the fruiting woos are patchy in relatively safer if habitat destruction and hunting distribution. Thus~ the fragmentatioOn of habitats are reduoed (MoIur, et.,al.20(5). limit their food resources and isolate the DISCUSSION populations, making them genetically weak. Prim,ates play an import.ant rol'e in To make the habitat more viable, the maintaining the integrity ,of habitats in which they degraded areas and the ,corridors should be live by way of seed dispersers ,and pollinators. afiorested and linked with each other to pl'Ievent They also serve ,as fbod for many predatory birds the populations getting isolated. Small and and caInivore-manunals. Thus, the loss of a single isolated populations should be translocated to primate species may lead to the extinction of a viable habitats, thus, prevent them from number of plant species. extinction. Local communities should be involved Recent studies in Mexico, Brazil ,and India in the conservation programme. Field surveys have documented drastic reduction in primate should be intensified to ,collect more and mOlle MUKHERJEE & AGRAWAL: Singing and Swinging Ape: The Hoolck Gibbon of India 207 information about this ,ape and regular a need of proper ,co-ordination amon,g the monitoring of the population and habitats should implementing agencies at state ,and ,central level be done to prevent their further loss. Ther@ is also for management and oonservation of the species.

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Manuscript received: 26,.10 .. 2012; Accepted : 08 ... 03.. 2013 210 Rec. zoot SUrl). Indw

C \

~ .."'t'" I J ;

( ~{;~HAt...AYA -.. - ~ ..... ~ ...., .....

Fig. 1. : Earlier distribution of Hoolock gibbon in Northeastern India..

CH NA r 'W' ... --"'" f .-'..­ t· ~: .. { .. ,,-... -..J'O."" ~ ~- " ~.".,.. --... - -, ,

Fig. 2. : Present fragmented distribution of Hoolock gibbon in Northeastern India. MUKHERJEE & AGRAWAL : Singing and Swinging Ape: The Hoolck Gibbon of India 211

Fig. 3. : Male : W'estern Hoolock gibbon (phot-o : NEWS). 212 Rec. zoot Surv. Indw

Fig.S. : Female: Hoolock ,gibbon (Photo: NEWS).

Fig. 16. : Habitat of Hoolock gibbon ~hoto : Kaushik Deuti).