Hooku-hooku — the piercing cry resonates from the deeper recesses of the shad-owy foliage over our heads, shattering the silence of the jungle. We stop on our trail, throw an eager glance at the direction of the sound but the dense canopy impedes our vision. We hastily leave the trail and step into the woods in a bid to catch up with the mysterious treetop-dwellers that seem to be moving away as they notice us. Walking through the jungle, however, turns out to be a much tougher proposition compared to trudging along the well-defined trail, and the apes — secure in their lofty vantage point some 60 feet off the ground — succeed in making a rapid retreat, moving deftly from branch to branch. Our laborious march comes to an abrupt halt with a jungle stream blocking our path. The animated noise of the apes gradually dies down in the distant horizon.

Sighting the hoolock gibbon is a distinct possibility at Hollongapar Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary, popularly known as Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary. But not many would be aware that this tiny 20.98 square kilometre protected area is a primate haven, sheltering as many as seven species including its flagship resident and India’s only ape — the hoolock gibbon. In fact, no other forest of the country boasts of such primate diversity. And the good news is that each of the simian inhabitants — the western hoolock gibbon (Hoolock hoolock), stump-tailed macaque (Macaca arctoides), northern pig-tailed macaque (Macaca lenina), eastern Assamese macaque (Macaca assamensis assamensis), Bengal slow loris (Nycticebus bengalensis), Indian Rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta mulatta), and the orange-bellied capped leaf monkey or capped langur (Trachypithecus pileatus durga) — in the sanctuary is having a thriving population.

A 40-minute drive from Jorhat landed us (me and my friend Biswajit) in the soothing embrace of Gibbon Sanctuary. It rained heavily the previous night, and the jungle sparkled in its radiant olive mantle. The forest had several trekking trails and soon we found ourselves lazily trudging along one, with Deven Bora as our guide. Seeing our crestfallen faces at missing out on the hoolock gibbon despite coming close to it, Bora — an experienced forester who knew the jungle like his backyard — pointed to a treetop from where a couple of giant Malayan squirrels were curiously watching us. Much larger than the common squirrel, these beautiful creatures have an incongruously long and bushy tail that helps them maintain their balance during their mesmerizing acrobatic manoeuvres on trees. Great acrobats as they are, even they are susceptible to slips, as one fell off with a thud right on our feet. We enjoyed their frolicking for a while before they drew back into the deeper folds of the overgrowth.

As we resumed our walk, we encountered another interesting animal. A large monitor lizard lay in the middle of our trek, remaining absolutely motionless. It did not react at all to the clicking of cameras from close proximity and for a moment we thought it to be dead. Finally, it made a sluggish movement and crawled sideways when we prodded it with a leaf. A troop of capped langur, a deer and a boar besides a number of birds were among the other wildlife we saw. The colourful insect life also enthralled us. The main reason why we could not come across many of its famed primates, including the hoolock gibbon, was that we were rather late in our trekking. Early morning (5am-7am) is the ideal time to roam in the sanctuary when sighting of the gibbon is almost guaranteed.

A little Eden, Hollongapar Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary’s claim to fame rests solely on its primate diversity which tends to overshadow its other assets. Beneath its small size thrives an astounding biodiversity — it has a sizeable population of a number of animals, including mammals and reptiles. Elephant, leopard, jungle cat, large lndian civet, small Indian civet, common palm civet, Malayan giant squirrel, hoary-bellied squirrel, hog deer, sambar, porcupine, marbled cat, leopard cat, common mongoose, Indian fox, jackal, wild boar, Indian python, cat snake, Indian cobra, and common rat snake are its main inhabitants.

Equally flourishing is the sanctuary’s avifauna, with 220 species of birds — several of these being endangered — recorded so far. It boasts of a varied flora including towering trees such as holong, halakh, simolu, ajar, titachopa, etc, climbers and creepers, different species of cane, and over a hundred species of herb, shrub, under-shrub, lianas, bamboo and grass. Various medicinal plants also grow luxuriantly here.

Bora, with his two-and-a-half-decade-long association with the forest, was extremely knowledgeable about the sanctuary. He knew every trekking trail and guided us along quite a few. He talked about the forest’s flora and fauna and briefed us on its conservation history. It was earlier known as Hollongapar Forest during the British days in the late 19th century. The Assam Government notified it as a wildlife sanctuary on July 30, 1997. Located at a distance of 25 km from Jorhat town and 5 km from Mariani, the topography of the sanctuary is marked by a downward sloping incline from south-east to north-west.

Any prospective visitor to the sanctuary would do well to take some precaution against leeches, especially if the visit is during summer. We had to endure an unrelenting invasion from the blood-suckers and midway through our trekking when we stopped for a rest, I discovered 17 leeches on my feet.

As is the case with most protected areas, the sanctuary is plagued by many ills. It is virtually an island amidst thickly-populated human settlements and tea gardens, and the resultant anthropogenic pressure is palpable. A railway track bisecting the forest into two parts has effectively confined some hoolock gibbon families to a narrow stretch.

Gibbons being highly arboreal, avoid contacts with the ground and the railway track has made the larger tract of the jungle inaccessible for those restricted to the small strip. This is a serious situation and problems like inbreeding are conspicuous among the families living in the small part. Things can be eased by erecting a canopy bridge over the railway track and connecting the treetops on either side but that has not materialized so far.

Firewood collection inside the sanctuary is another worry as is charcoal making. Wildlife experts feel that flow of pesticide-laced water from the bordering tea estates could also create long-term damage to the flora and fauna.

sivathakur@gmail.com

Sivasish Thakur