Western Hoolock Gibbon joins global list of 25 most endangered primates
Representing India at the event, Assam’s Dr. Dilip Chetry called for a dedicated ‘Project Gibbon’ amid mounting extinction threats
Guwahati, Aug 2: The Western Hoolock Gibbon — India’s only ape — has been declared one of the world’s 25 most endangered primates for the 2025–2027 cycle by the International Primatological Society (IPS).
The announcement was made at the 30th IPS Congress held in Antananarivo, Madagascar, from July 20 to 25.
The global conservation event brought together 657 delegates from 53 countries to assess the alarming state of the world’s most threatened primates.
Among the 25 species listed, six are from Asia — including the Banka Slow Loris, Sangihe Tarsier, Pig-tailed Langur, Myanmar Snub-nosed Monkey, Tapanuli Orangutan, and the Western Hoolock Gibbon (Hoolock hoolock).
Representing India at the event was Dr. Dilip Chetry, Director and Head of the Primate Research and Conservation Division at Aaranyak, a biodiversity conservation organisation in Assam.
He played a key role in drawing attention to the Western Hoolock Gibbon’s rapidly deteriorating status.
Dr. Chetry highlighted that the species — one of 20 gibbon species found in Asia — is already classified as "Endangered" on the IUCN Red List.
Native to eastern Bangladesh, Northeast India, and parts of Myanmar, its Indian range is restricted to forested regions south of the Brahmaputra River and east of the Dibang River.
It spans seven states - Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura.
The gibbon faces mounting threats from habitat loss driven by human encroachment, infrastructure development, unregulated resource extraction, tea plantations, shifting cultivation, forest fragmentation, hunting, and illegal wildlife trade.
Fragmented forest patches across the Northeast have already reported cases of local extinction, underscoring a steady population decline.
Dr. Chetry called for a comprehensive and multi-pronged conservation approach. His recommendations include restoring degraded habitats, creating ecological corridors, scientific monitoring, capacity-building for forest frontline staff, and sustained community engagement.
He also urged the Indian government to recognise the Western Hoolock Gibbon as a flagship species for biodiversity conservation in the region.
A dedicated Gibbon Conservation Action Plan for each northeastern state, he said, should pave the way for a broader National Action Plan with assured financial support.
As a long-term strategy, Dr. Chetry proposed launching a national-level “Project Gibbon” — modelled after Project Tiger and Project Elephant — to safeguard the future of India’s only ape.