(IN): Forest project on gibbons in sanctuary go awry

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*http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/details.asp?id=may0509/State7

 

Forest project on gibbons in sanctuary go awry

*Correspondent

JORHAT, May 4 – The only wildlife sanctuary in India named after a

non-human primate, the Hoolock Gibbon, the Gibbon Sanctuary was going to

adopt a project to connect both sides of the forest separated by the railway

line to cross by the Hoolock Gibbons. But the experiment is now not working

to the expectation of the forest department.

 

The forest department decided to build an overhead bridge over the railway

line to connect both north and south side of the forest. The Hoolock Gibbons

do not walk on the ground and so they do not cross the railway line. And

another fact is that gibbons are monogamous and they do not tie the knot

within their own groups. Therefore, the possibilities of the homemaking

between the groups of both sides remain impossible since the days of

construction of the railway line. The matured gibbons come either side of

the trees along the railway line and shake the tree branches as a sign of

proposal for marriage. Even if they exchange their message and get positive

response from either side they can’t come to contact physically due to the

existence of the railway line between them.

 

The 51 families of gibbon in the sanctuary of both sides have their matured

young ones to be coupled with. But as a result of detachment they have to

spend their lives like spinsters.

 

Keeping this incident in view, the Forest department proposed to construct

an overhead bridge over the railway line so that the marriageable gibbons

come into contact. The cost of the proposed bridge was Rs15 lakh.

 

The forest department connected the both sides of the forest with a huge

wire on an experimental basis to notice whether the gibbons would cross the

railway line through the wire. But till date the gibbons have not crossed

the railway line, a Forest official said.

 

Therefore, the forest department is planning a new strategy to connect the

both sides with pipes covered with artificial creepers.

 

With the advent of monsoon the forest has attained its emerald beauty with

the newly-grown leaves, it has been attracting both visitors from the

country and abroad in huge numbers. The forest department is going to

construct a gravel road in the forest of two-km length so that the visitors

can view the primates going through the forest. For the density in the trees

it is impossible to go inside the forest on elephants. So, the proposed road

will provide opportunity to the visitors to have a closer view the animals

in the forest. The forest department is also going to construct a camp-house

to the visitors on the southern part of the Sanctuary.

 

Another crucial matter is that there is not much room is the forest for the

elephants whose number is growing day by day. The sanctuary of 2,098 ha can

provide accommodation to only two elephants. But now there are at least 34

wild elephants which is a cause of terror for the people of neighbouring

areas. The elephants often come out to the villages causing enormous

devastation to them.

 

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