Northeast states unite to save India’s only ape from the brink of extinction

3 Nov 2026Policy and Government Wildlife

Assam, Tripura, and Meghalaya deployed canopy bridges and community guards to protect the Western Hoolock Gibbon, India’s only ape, from extinction. State authorities and the Wildlife Institute of India acted after the International Primatological Society named the species among the World’s 25 Most Endangered Primates for the 2025–2027 cycle. The International Primatological Society stated that the species faces extinction threats. Fewer than 10,000 gibbons survive in northeastern rainforests after a 90 percent population crash over three decades due to linear infrastructure, expanding tea estates, and logging. Dr. Dilip Chetry, Vice-Chair of the IUCN SSC Primate Specialist Group (South Asia), warned, “The Western Hoolock Gibbon is on the absolute brink.” Dr. Dilip Chetry urged a dedicated national Project Gibbon to secure central funding, restore forest corridors, and implement intensive monitoring. In Assam’s Hoollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary, state authorities and the Wildlife Institute of India recorded a gibbon using an artificial rope canopy bridge to cross a railway track. The Tripura government activated a state action plan to curb human-wildlife conflict and deploy grassroots communities to guard village groves. Officials from the three states stated that reconnecting fragmented forest canopies remains vital to prevent the permanent disappearance of the singing apes.

Sources

The Sentinel – of this Land, for its People

Read the original (opens in a new tab)Summary written by Animal Writes. Read the original before relying on it.

Editorial policy Report a mistake

More in Policy and Government

3 Nov 2026News
Elephant “Mridula” welcomes new calf as Manas celebrates rare wildlife births
A captive elephant named Mridula gave birth to a healthy male calf at Manas National Park in Baksa, Assam, alongside the historic birth of a greater one-horned rhinoceros calf in the park's Bansbari range. The forest department monitored the elephant birth, while the rhinoceros calf extended the family of a flood-rescued rhino named Ganga into a three-generation wild lineage. Head Mahout Dandeshwar Boro stated, "The birth has brought immense joy among the staff and mahouts working in the park." The arrivals occurred as the UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site began its peak tourism season. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma noted that the three-generation lineage shows the success of conservation efforts for animals rescued from the 2004 Brahmaputra floods and rehabilitated by the Wildlife Trust of India-IFAW Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation. Forest and Climate Change Minister Jayanta Malla Baruah stated that the births demonstrate the importance of sustained care and a secure ecosystem following past habitat degradation.
31 Oct 2026News
Wild elephants destroy paddy fields in Assam’s Rani, farmers fear losses ahead of harvest
Wild elephant herds have repeatedly raided paddy fields across villages in Assam’s Rani Forest Range, destroying crops and causing a fatality. Farmers said the raids left families with months of lost work and forced some to abandon paddy cultivation, and they demanded coordinated intervention by the Assam and Meghalaya governments. The death of Alani Rabha in Thengapara, who was trampled while being taken to hospital, was reported by residents. “We depend on agriculture for our livelihood. Without paddy cultivation, our families are facing serious financial difficulties,” said farmer Atul Nath of Nalapara. The Forest Department, citing Rani Forest Range Officer Roji Barman, has applied to the government for compensation for 77 affected families and begun installing solar‑powered fencing along a 17‑km stretch after MLA Himanshu Sekhar Baishya’s request; three kilometres are already completed. Farmers also noted that NGOs are active but urged sustained Meghalaya government action, alleging habitat loss and poaching there are pushing elephants toward Assam.
31 Oct 2026News
Three generations in the wild: rescued rhino ‘Ganga’ becomes a grandmother at Manas
India's 22-year-old rescued rhino Ganga has become a grandmother after the birth of a newborn greater one-horned rhino calf at Manas National Park in Baksa district, Assam. The calf was delivered by Ganga-Ka, the second-generation rhino born to Ganga. Ganga was rescued as a 4-month-old stranded infant from the 2004 Brahmaputra floods in Kaziranga National Park, hand-raised at the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation, and translocated to Manas National Park in 2007. This birth marks the first three-generation lineage of a rehabilitated rhino in the wild in India. The Assam Chief Minister hailed the event on social media. Dr. Bhaskar Choudhury, Head Veterinarian for the Wildlife Trust of India, stated, "The fact that the second generation of calves is breeding in the wild is a clear indication of the success of our rhino rehabilitation efforts." Poaching and civil unrest wiped out the local rhino population in the 1990s, but sustained conservation work by the Assam Forest Department, Wildlife Trust of India, and IFAW restored the population to over 50 rhinos. Assam Forest Department officials confirmed that frontline protection staff are maintaining a round-the-clock watch on the newborn and mother.

From the Library

10 Jul 2026Official Release
Human wildlife conflict centre and portal launched
On 10 Jul 2026, the Union Environment Minister inaugurated a Centre of Excellence for human-wildlife conflict at the Wildlife Institute of India’s SACON campus in Coimbatore. The minister also launched a National Human-Wildlife Conflict Portal on the same day. This newly established center will serve as a national hub for research, innovation, policy support, capacity building, and dissemination of best practices. During the event, officials gathered to deliberate on effective strategies for mitigating human-wildlife conflict and promoting coexistence.
9 Jul 2026Official Release
28th meeting of the Wildlife Institute of India Society
The Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri Bhupender Yadav, chaired the 28th meeting of the reconstituted Wildlife Institute of India (WII) Society at the Central Academy for State Forest Service in Coimbatore. This meeting marked the first gathering since the society's reconstitution for a three-year term. Shri Yadav emphasized the need to align WII’s research, training, and policy-support frameworks with the vision of ‘Viksit Bharat @ 2047’. He stated the importance of focusing on human-wildlife conflict resolution and capacity building. The meeting also featured an overview of WII's achievements and involved participation from various officials and stakeholders in wildlife conservation.
21 Mar 2026Official Release
90th meeting of the National Board for Wildlife committee
The Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change chaired the 90th meeting of the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife in Dehradun to address wildlife conservation. The statutory body constituted under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 reviewed infrastructure proposals across sectors such as roads, drinking water supply, transmission lines, defence, and irrigation. During the proceedings, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Forest Survey of India and the Bhaskaracharya National Institute for Space Applications and Geo-informatics to strengthen geospatial technologies, remote sensing, and artificial intelligence and machine learning tools in forest fire management and wildlife conservation. The committee also reviewed progress on decisions from the 7th meeting of the National Board for Wildlife regarding species recovery and habitat management. The agenda covered environmental flows in the River Chambal for riverine species like dolphins and gharials during lean seasons. The participants examined the conservation of grasslands and rangelands for biodiversity and pastoral livelihoods, along with the ecological dependence of nomadic communities on Protected Areas. The meeting addressed the conservation status of the wild water buffalo and recommended a conservation action plan for the species.

Northeast states unite to save India’s only ape from the brink of extinction

Sources

More in Policy and Government

Elephant “Mridula” welcomes new calf as Manas celebrates rare wildlife births

Wild elephants destroy paddy fields in Assam’s Rani, farmers fear losses ahead of harvest

Three generations in the wild: rescued rhino ‘Ganga’ becomes a grandmother at Manas

From the Library

Human wildlife conflict centre and portal launched

28th meeting of the Wildlife Institute of India Society

90th meeting of the National Board for Wildlife committee