India’s biodiversity is home to an incredible variety of flora and fauna. However, some species are more common to find that others. When it comes to primates for example, while monkeys and langurs are often spotted in many parts of Indian, their cousins, the great man-like apes - namely gorillas and orangutans - are not found in India. The only tribe of apes inhabiting the country is the Hoolock Gibbons, found in the forests of the northeast. In Arunachal Pradesh, in the north-east of India, it is quite an experience when one walks to the edge of the village in the mornings, with the stereoscopic sound of the gibbons ringing in your ears from all directions. What a surreal wilderness experience, truly! In this village environment of Roing district in the lower Dibang valley, the Gibbons flourish in the forest – village interface, outside of any formal national park system. The villagers co-exist with the gibbons in an age-old sense of balance. Being the only occurring apes in the Indian sub-continent, these animals bear the pressure of being a precious jewel of the Indian forest; therefore their conservation is vital. Two species of Hoolock gibbons, Eastern Hoolock gibbon (Hoolock leuconedys) and Western Hoolock gibbon (Hoolock hoolock) have been reported to occur in India. They can be found in the deciduous forests of China, Bangladesh, Myanmar and India. Like all apes, Hoolock Gibbons are quite distinctive in the great development of the arms, which are much longer than the legs (more than double, actually) and are the key to their balance, as they do not possess any tail. Gibbons are quite known for their shrill calls. It is believed that the name Hoolock comes from the Hindi ‘ulluck’, meaning the loud call or howl of the gibbon. Full length gibbon’s body shot They are usually seen in groups. With the first rays of the sun, the group (usually consisting of 6-7 members) starts jumping from tree to tree. It is then that one member, usually the breeding male, starts calling – a loud howl reverberating through the depths of the jungle. Once calling commences, respond call outs start to be heard throughout the forest. These calls are intended to maintain a pair’s bond, to attract mates and for courtship purposes. They also act as defensive warnings, aid in territorial reinforcement and help maintain social ties. Nowadays, much of the gibbon population has been decimated and only a few surviving groups are restricted to the mountainous primary forest regions straddling the boundaries. Hoolocks love hill forests but now neither do the hill habitats remain pristine nor do the forests themselves, owing to mining, road building, infrastructure development and industrial presence. Poaching is a big threat to these apes as their body parts are famously used in traditional medicine. Their tree-top dwelling habits are no match to complicated firearms in the hands of local villagers. The existing population is very small. Therefore, with poaching and habita
