Hoollongapar Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary

About Hoollongapar Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary:

• It is an isolated protected area of evergreen forest located in the Jorhat district of Assam, India.
• It was given the status of a wildlife sanctuary in the year 1997 by the Assam Government.
• It is the only sanctuary in India named after a gibbon due to its distinction for containing the densest gibbon populations in Assam.
• Situated at an altitude between 100 and 120 m (330 and 390 ft), the topography gently slopes downward from southeast to northwest.
• River: The Bhogdoi River creates a waterlogged region dominated by semi-hydrophytic plants along the border of the sanctuary.
• Flora:
  • The upper canopy of the forest is dominated by the Hollong tree, while the Nahar dominates the middle canopy.
  • The lower canopy consists of evergreen shrubs and herbs.
• Fauna:
  • It contains India’s only gibbons–the hoolock gibbons, and Northeastern India’sonly nocturnal primate–the Bengal slow loris. 
  • Also found at the sanctuary are Indian elephants, tigers, leopards, jungle cats, wild boar, three types of civet, four types of squirrels, stump-tailed macaque, northern pig-tailed macaque, etc. 

Q1: What are Primates?

Primate is any mammal of the group that includes the lemurs, lorises, tarsiers, monkeys, apes, and humans. The order Primates, including more than 500 species, is the third most diverse order of mammals, after rodents (Rodentia) and bats (Chiroptera).

Source: Oil and gas exploration likely to threaten Hoolock Gibbon habitat in Assam