The Hoolock Gibbons of Barekuri, Tinsukhia, Assam ǀ Wildlife ǀ Only Ape Species in India скачать в хорошем качестве

The Hoolock Gibbons of Barekuri, Tinsukhia, Assam ǀ Wildlife ǀ Only Ape Species in India

In this video, I have tried to capture my unique experience of encountering a small group of western hoolock gibbons in a tiny village near Tinsukhia in the north eastern state of Assam in India. The western Hoolock Gibbons are the only ape species found in India and the western hoolock gibbons we sighted at Barekuri are found in the north eastern states of Assam, Meghalaya and Mizoram. They are arboreal and hardly ever come down to the forest floor. They are agile and move very swiftly from one branch to another. The adult gibbons exhibit sexual dimorphism. The male is black with white markings on the forehead while the female is brown, fawn coloured with white markings on the forehead. Deforestation and the consequent loss of habitat has posed a major challenge to the conservation of these species. Their population is declining and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has included the western Hoolock gibbon in the list of endangered species. While visiting Maguri Beel in Tinsukhia in the north eastern state of Assam in India, our guide mentioned that he would take us to a village where we could see hoolock gibbons from close proximity. Honestly speaking I was clueless about what I was going to experience. On our last day in Maguri Beel, we were driven by our guide, Mr. Jiban Datta to the village with the gibbons. The village called Barekuri is a small settlement that lies some 10-15 kilometres from Maguri Beel. We reached after a drive of around 30 minutes. What I came to know after visiting this village left me astounded. For more than a century, this village has been home to western hoolock gibbons. We saw a group of 8-10 individuals. Both the gibbons and the villagers have mutually adapted and accepted each other’s existence and live in perfect harmony with no conflicts reported so far. Contrary to my fears the gibbons are wild. Interestingly, the village has lot of greenery, tall trees with canopy that serves as a perfect dwelling place for these gibbons, who are arboreal and hardly come to the ground. They are occasionally treated to banana and fruit by the villagers, which is perhaps when the gibbons descend from their canopy perches. The villagers hold the banana and stretch out their hand and the gibbons descend from the canopy with caution, grab the fruit and with lightning speed ascend the trees again, only stopping after they have found a suitable perch to enjoy their treat. Apart from this, they often take liberties to feed on fruit from orchards of the local villagers; the villagers don’t mind that much. What I found quite interesting was that the well-being of the gibbons was a collective issue of the village as a whole. The villagers are not only affectionate towards the gibbons but also quite protective about them. And it is surprising and joyful to think that this kind of a relationship has existed for a very long time. In a world where loss of habitat is giving rise to conservation issues and pushing species to the brink of extinction, the harmonious co-existence of the villagers of Barekuri and the hoolock gibbons provides a ray of hope that all is not lost. And it is not utterly impossible for man to co-exist with apes. To read up more on western hoolock gibbons, please refer to the following links: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoolock... https://www.natureinfocus.in/animals/... https://roundglasssustain.com/photost...