Kaziranga (Assam): For the first time in India, a captive-reared female Hoolock gibbon was successfully rehabilitated in the wild near Kaziranga National Park, last week, by the Department of Environment and Forests, Assam, in collaboration with the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) and its international partner, the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).
Rescued in February 2003 by SN Buragohain, Director of Kaziranga National Park (then the DFO of Golaghat), the gibbon ‘Siloni’ was subsequently admitted to the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC) in Kaziranga. After being hand-reared till her sexual maturity, she was transferred to a temporary enclosure in the release site about four months ago for acclimatisation before her release into the wild.
The release site was selected in Panbari Reserve Forest after a study confirmed the presence of a lone male gibbon in the area. The spacious enclosure was suspended under the canopy of a Ficus tree about nine meters above the ground. Anjan Talukdar, CWRC veterinarian, recalled, “It must have been a novel experience for Siloni to meet a companion of the same tribe. She made new calls that we never heard her make at the centre.”
The male had begun frequenting the enclosure site, from the very first day of Siloni’s transfer. Lately, the pair was even observed mating through the enclosure mesh providing cogent evidence to their successful pair-bonding, a behavior considered must for the rehabilitation of mammals that live in pairs.
Siloni was released at around 7.30 am in the presence of BS Bonal, Chief Conservator of Forests, Assam. She was out of the enclosure within five minutes of her release, exploring the wilderness for the first time.
Post-release monitoring is being carried out daily from dawn to dusk. On the day of the release, the excited wild male kept pursuing Siloni who was busy exploring her new home. Remaining together throughout the day, they occupied different spots only for roosting. The pair spent a lot of time grooming each other on the second day. The male now goes about his regular routine returning frequently to Siloni, who keeps herself to about 50 meters of the enclosure. The gate of the enclosure has been kept open for Siloni to return at will, but her former keepers say that she hardly uses it.
Hoolock gibbon (Bunopithecus hoolock) is an endangered species listed in the Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act (1972). Habitat loss, hunting and illegal trade threaten its survival. Habitat fragmentation has forced many gibbons in Assam to live in isolation, often without a mate like this solitary male in Panbari Reserve Forest.
Conservationists believe that successful rehabilitation of Siloni could provide a strategy for the management of gibbons living without mates in the wild. “These gibbons living in fragmented forest patches may not be able to survive as a self-sustainable population for long. A possible solution in their conservation could be to capture and rehabilitate them elsewhere after ensuring pairing,” says NVK Ashraf, Director of Wild Rescue Programme, WTI.
