Recent studies have revealed that there are only about 3,000 western Hoolock gibbons left in north east India and these gibbons are listed among the 25 most endangered primates in the world. To conserve these animals and their habitat of contiguous, wet, closed canopy forests, many sanctuaries and reserved forests are being developed around the area.
Overview of Hoolock Gibbon Reserve
In the north eastern state of Meghalaya, under the assistance of the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC), the Hoolock Gibbon Reserve was formed in the Selbagre village. The reserve has a sprawling land of almost 80 hectares and helps in the conservation of wildlife.
There is a sacred grove in the reserve, which is the pride of the village and the community. The Hoolock gibbons are provided with a safe sanctuary. These animals are also considered to be closer to human beings in the evolutionary history by the locals, and are therefore venerated. And according to the traditional beliefs of the Garo people, the act of hunting or killing the Hoolock gibbon is blasphemous as a famine or a curse would befall the entire village.
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