Hoollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary

Visits to Assam; especially Kaziranga are not complete if you do not take time out to meet our close genetic cousin and the only Ape found in India - The Hoolock Gibbon. More precisely, the Western Hoolock Gibbon(Hoolock hoolock)

The Hoollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary, formerly known as the Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary or Hollongapar Reserve Forest, is an isolated protected area of evergreen forest located in Assam, India. The sanctuary was officially constituted and renamed in 1997. Set aside initially in 1881, its forests used to extend to the foothills of the Patkai mountain range. 

Since then, the forest has been fragmented and surrounded by tea gardens and small villages. In the early 1900s, artificial regeneration was used to a develop well-stocked forest, resulting in the site's rich biodiversity. The Hoollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary contains India's only gibbons – the hoolock gibbons.

There is a folktale that describes the name Hoollongapar comes from the tall straight timbered trees (Dipterocarpus macrocarpus). The name Hollong is possibly a shortening of "How Long"; apparently a regular question asked by the British sahibs, whenever a tree was cut for its timber. Hollong is a medium hardwood, timber tree. It grows naturally in forests of upper Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.

As to the sanctuary itself, the isolation of the park by numerous tea gardens creates a geographic barrier for migrating animals.Growing populations of tea garden workers also threatens the habitat since many people rely on the forest for firewood, traditional medicine and food. Large quantities of leaves and grass are collected from the forests to feed cattle. During the rainy season, herbicides and pesticides from the tea gardens wash through the sanctuary. 

The tea gardens are also used by elephants as a migration route to Nagaland, making them vulnerable to frequent poaching. The Railway line further divides the park, stranding a single group of gibbons in the smaller fragment. Illegal logging and the encroachment by local people employed by the tea gardens also degrades the habitat quality.

The Hoollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary receives 249 cm (98 in) of rainfall on average per year. Situated at an altitude between 100 and 120 m (330 and 390 ft), the topography gently slopes downward from southeast to northwest. The Bhogdoi River creates a waterlogged region dominated by semi-hydrophytic plants along the border of the sanctuary, helping to create three distinct habitat zones or micro-ecosystems in the park: the up-slope zone, the down-slope zone, and the flood-prone zone.

In addition to the Gibbons, the sanctuary has a very rich biodiversity and is home to the only nocturnal primate found in the northeast Indian states, the Bengal slow loris (Nycticebus bengalensis). 

Other primates include the stump-tailed macaque (Macaca arctoides), northern pig-tailed macaque (Macaca leonina), eastern Assamese macaque (Macaca assamensis assamensis), rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta), and capped langur (Trachypithecus pileatus). Also found at the sanctuary are Indian elephants, tigers (Panthera tigris), leopards (Panthera pardus), jungle cats (Felis chaus), wild boar (Sus scrofa), three types of civet, four types of squirrel, and several other types of mammal. At least 219 species of bird and several types of snake are known to live in the park.

While the list of wildlife seems long, the chances of encounters with Tigers, Leopards or Elephants is not that frequent, while the smaller fauna, require extremely careful observation with time in hand. Unfortunately we seem to lack both - patience and time....For our safety though there is always an armed forest guard accompanying us through the trail.

Walking through the trails is interesting, though the chief distraction seem to be the Leeches😈😈. Do make sure to stay hydrated as the heat and humidity can sap your body fluids as well as your energy.   

The smart ones listened to the advise and tucked in the trouser ends into their shoes/ socks, while some of us were brave enough to walk in slippers, allowing the Leeches a free buffet of blood. 😳😳

In our walk in the park, we had the pleasure of catching up with a family of Gibbons, Capped Langurs, Macaques, Malayan Giant Squirrel, Irrawaddy squirrel or hoary-bellied Himalayan squirrel, while some of us managed a glimpse of a Pigtailed macaque.

For such a small area, the Hoollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary is a precious jewel, which requires to be preserved. Not just preserved, but there has to be a concerted effort to link up the park to the nearest forests in Nagaland, the Dissoi Valley Reserve Forest. Unfortunately some Tea Estates stand in the way and hopefully the voices that matter in Governments across the states and the center find it in their wisdom to reacquire lands to create the contiguity, to ensure that the Gibbon gene pool does not shrink and we are faced with these precious apes facing an certain extinction in the near future. As such the park only hosts about 26 small packs(families) of Gibbons and this number desperately needs to increase.

Do remember that the park is located well out of the way and do not expect any kind of conveniences. It is a wild place and best left that way!! 

Do spread the word about the need to save the Gibbons...it may be a clarion call to save ourselves down the line!!

Thanks for coming!! God Bless!!