Stranded Hoolock Gibbon Family Rescued After Four‑Day Effort

Itanagar: A family of Hoolock gibbon, including an adult male, an adult female and a juvenile, was rescued from a precarious situation after a four‑day operation in Horu Pahar village in the Lower Dibang Valley of Arunachal Pradesh. The group was released into Mehao Wildlife Sanctuary, where they are now under close monitoring.

According to the officials, the gibbon family had become trapped on a 45‑metre‑high ficus tree. The tree was allegedly the only remaining refuge after large‑scale agricultural expansion, which resulted in the fragmentation of their forest canopy.

One forest official states, “There was only one tree left in their habitat. The animals were compelled to descend to the ground due to a lack of canopy connectivity, which is exceedingly risky for an arboreal monkey.” The animals had no choice but to take the risky decision to descend to the ground since the treetop corridors had been disconnected.

Veterinary checks conducted by a team from the Wildlife Trust of India showed that the animals were underweight, indicating long‑term nutritional stress and isolation. WTI director Sunil Kyarong said the rescue involved specialised rope‑climbing techniques, trained volunteers and meticulous coordination to ensure the primates' safety during extraction; a single misstep would have been fatal.

Forest officials said several more isolated gibbon families have been located in adjoining agricultural landscapes. They will conduct more rescue operations over the next three months to relocate the stranded to safe, forested habitats.

The rescue of this gibbon has many implications for urgent habitat preservation and restoration of forest connectivity. As the only ape species in India, the Hoolock gibbons depend on continuous canopy cover for movement and feeding. Their plight-and this eventual rescue- underscores the broader ecological cost of habitat fragmentation across Northeast India.

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