- Andhra Pradesh: TDP legislators stage dharna at Gun Park near assembly to protest the alleged criminalisation of politics
- Assam: State government urges Uttarakhand govt to rescue 10 pilgrims from Assam who are stranded in Yamunotri
- Bihar: BJP will not win the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, says Bihar CM Nitish Kumar after winning trust vote in assembly Wednesday
- Chennai: Emergency control room set up in Chennai to assist families of pilgrims stranded in Uttarakhand; contact 044-23452323
- Delhi: DU received around 1.5 lakh offline admission forms for its four-year UG programme, says dean JM Khurana
- Gujarat: Gujarat CM Narendra Modi announces financial aid of Rs2 crore for flash floods and landslides hit Uttarakhand
- Haryana: BJP and HJC to launch Jail Bharo Andolan June 23 demanding arrest of MP Naveen Jindal in the coal scam
- Himachal Pradesh: More chopper sorties will carried out today to rescue stranded tourists in landslide-hit Kinnaur dist, say officials
- Jammu and Kashmir: Unified Command Wednesday discussed security arrangement for annual Amarnath yatra which will begin June 28
- Karnataka: River Krishna and its tributaries in northern region of the state are in full spate following heavy rain since Monday
- Kerala: The World Bank Wednesday offered a USD216 million loan for upgrading state highways and road safety in Kerala
- Kolkata: Govt is determined to hang within a month perpetrators of Barasat gang-rape and murder of a teenaged girl, says CM
- Madhya Pradesh: Chhattisgarh chief minister announces assistance of Rs 5 cr for relief work in flood-ravaged Uttarakhand
- Maharashtra: Mumbai crime branch to investigate the 10 serial killing cases in Kolhapur, reported in past 3 months, says RR Patil
- Mumbai: Water level at all dams, which supply water to Mumbai, rises due to rain in the state
- Northeast: Two members of GNLA nabbed by villagers near Williamnagar in Meghalaya when they were trying to kidnap a businessman
- Odisha: Farmers who suffered losses due to heavy rain would be compensated at rate of Rs2,000 per hectare, say officials
- Punjab: Students of Punjabi University form a joint action committee to protest the fee hike by University
- Rajasthan: UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi will lay foundation of a Rs2,938 crore water supply project at Jayal in Nagaur dist today
- Tamil Nadu: Emergency control room set up in Chennai to assist families of pilgrims stranded in Uttarakhand; contact 044-23452323
- UP East: PM sanctions Rs1000 cr relief for the flood-hit Uttarakhand; CM says Kedarnath pilgrimmage may take one year to resume
- UP West: PM sanctions Rs1000 cr relief for the flood-hit Uttarakhand; CM says Kedarnath pilgrimmage may take one year to resume
- West Bengal: Govt is determined to hang within a month perpetrators of Barasat gang-rape and murder of a teenaged girl, says CM
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Alarm calls of the 'huku' gibbon in India!
 IANS New Delhi, Nov 27: While the population of mountain gorillas, the world's largest primates and apes, has gone up in their home in Africa, the scenario in India is alarming for our only ape species, the Hoolock Gibbon.
Poaching for meat and bones, pet trade and habitat loss are taking a toll on this species of gibbon, called Lesser Apes in primatology. The Hoolock Gibbon is the second-largest gibbon species, smaller only to the Siamang. The forests of northeastern India, Bangladesh and Myanmar have echoed since times immemorial to songs (they are great vocalists) and alarm calls ("Huku Huku") of these primates, which are divided into two distinct species- the Western Hoolock and the Eastern Hoolock Gibbon. "The Western Hoolock is listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). It is found in Assam, Bangladesh and in Myanmar west of the Chindwin River," Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) primatologist Mayukh Chatterjee told IANS. "However, if we consider local extinction to be equally important, then the Eastern Hoolock, found in eastern Assam, parts of Arunachal Pradesh, Myanmar east of the Chindwin, and southwest Yunnan province of China, is equally important." So, what is the current population of both the species? "Unfortunately, most population estimates are of years gone past. Now, new holistic estimates based on holistic landscapes are needed. "Gibbons are canopy dwellers and it is difficult to estimate them. There are new ways of estimation which are coming up. For instance, one method to do estimation is from genetic data taken from gibbon scat (droppings). The need of the hour is to use such methods on a higher scale," he said. The biggest threat to the Hoolocks is habitat loss, say experts. "The high canopy of the forest which Hoolocks inhabit is like a highway used by them to go in search of food, mostly fruits as they are frugivores. "When humans cut trees to make way for tea and teak plantations or 'jhum' (slash-and-burn) cultivation, the highway becomes fragmented. These animals then have two choices: either they can stay in their isolated patches and die out or get down from the canopy to the ground level and travel to other parts of the forest. "The second option is equally suicidal as these apes are clumsy on the ground and fall prey to humans, dogs and other predators," said Chatterjee. There are other effects of habitat loss too. "The Hoolocks become isolated in patches of forest. As a result, in-breeding can occur, restricting the gene pool," he said. There are other threats too, but they are not so deadly. "Yes, there is a bushmeat as well as a pet trade. But they won't affect Hoolocks as much as habitat loss," he said. And are government agencies in India doing enough for Hoolocks? "Governments have to balance human development with conservation. The result is that there are differing priorities between differing government agencies. This is a global problem, not just an Indian problem. When the needs of people conflict with the need to conserve the environment, often the environment loses," said Ian Robinson, director, Emergency Relief Programme, International Fund for Animal Welfare. "At the high level, India needs to preserve continuous canopy forest - this will preserve not only Hoolock Gibbons but all the other species in these diverse ecosystems. So this is a biodiversity preservation issue, not just a gibbon issue," Robinson told IANS. And what about the future of the Hoolock in India? "Like the rest of Indian wildlife, survival depends on India being able to balance the needs of a burgeoning human population with the need to preserve habitat and biodiversity. It is not an easy challenge, but India is a forward thinking country, with a history of respecting wildlife and the environment. So there is hope," said Robinson.
© 2013 IANS India Private Limited. All Rights Reserved. For news, views and gossips, follow @IANSLIVE at Twitter. Find us on Facebook too! Update: 27-November-2012 Comments: [0] Add your comment |
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