DHAKA ZOO CELEBRATES BIRTH OF HOOLOCK GIBBON

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Vol. 5 Num 881 Sun. November 19, 2006 Star City

 

http://www.thedailystar.net/2006/11/19/d611192503121.htm

Joy at Dhaka Zoo

Rare hoolock gibbon gives birth in captivity

Raihan Sabuktagin

 

Setting a rare example, a captive hoolock gibbon gave birth to a baby on

November 11 in the Dhaka zoo and created a hope for conservation of the

critically endangered species. Hoolock gibbon usually does not give birth in

captivity.

 

The cub was named as 'Sumonto' by the zoo authorities. " The birth of Sumonto

is a rare success in the South Asia, " said Kazi Fazlul Haque, curator of the

zoo.

 

He said proper management and sincere efforts by the zoo staff brought the

success for the country and paved the way for protecting this endangered

animal.

 

The zoo officials could not say whether the baby was a male or a female.

Waliur Rahman, one of the zoo officials who are looking after Sumonto, told

Star City that female hoolock gibbon is yellowish grey while the males are

black.

 

He said they will be sure about its sex after two months. " The baby's colour

is now the same as its mother. After two months both male and female babies

turn black. Then If it is a female, it will become like its mother and if it

is a male it will remain black for the rest of its life. " said Rahman.

 

Maturity of this animal comes within five to seven years.

 

The hoolock gibbons are highly territorial, and they live in small groups

consisting of one male, one female and several youths. The number of the

group members seldom exceeds six, Waliur said.

 

The hoolock gibbon is usually found in tropical evergreen rainforest,

semi-evergreen forest, tropical mixed deciduous-dominated forest, and

sub-tropical broadleaf hill forest up to 1400 meters high.

 

Exclusively arboreal, this animal eats fruits, buds, shoot and flowers.

 

Hoolock gibbons are found in Sylhet, Chittagong and Hill Tracts areas in

Bangladesh, and in India, Myanmar and China.

 

According to the latest animal census there are about 200 hoolock gibbons in

Bangladesh. This animal prefers tall trees with closed canopy for living but

its habitat is getting scarce in the country due to unabated felling of

trees.

 

The zoo authorities brought four hoolock gibbons on May 20, 2001 in the

Dhaka Zoo. The zoo authorities created a gibbon-friendly atmosphere in the

cage and provided more local fruits to them.

 

Another gibbon baby was born in 2003 but it did not sustain. This time the

zoo authorities are extra careful about the health of the baby and its

mother.

 

To make the species sustainable, the zoo authorities held an international

workshop in Dhaka in 2002. Shelly Walker, patron of the South Asian Zoo

Association for Regional Co-oporation, and Allen Motnick, director of the

Gibbon Conservation Centre in California, USA joined the workshop and helped

in maintenance of the gibbons.