Western hoolock gibbons (Hoolock hoolock), native to the forests of northeastern India, western Myanmar, and eastern Bangladesh, are among the world’s most threatened primates, listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List. Previously, they were listed among the 25 most endangered primates, and Bangladesh’s gibbon population may be the most precarious, with an estimated 300-400 remaining. These gibbons are scattered across the eastern part of the country, specifically in the Chittagong Hill Tracts in the Southeast and the Sylhet Division in the Northeast. Most remaining meta populations are confined to small forest blocks, unsuitable for long-term survival due to genetic isolation. The frontier forests in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, which hold the most significant potential for future viable populations in Bangladesh are under severe pressure from slash-and-burn agriculture. This practice results in forest habitat fragmentation, compounded by hunting for subsistence. Additionally, there’s an alarming trend of gibbon infants and juveniles falling victim to the illegal wildlife trade. Juvenile western hoolock gibbons rescued from the wildlife trade in Bangladesh can now be rehabilitated at a new facility co-managed by Creative Conservation Alliance and the country’s forest department. Image courtesy of Sinan Serhadli. Despite these critical threats to the gibbon population in Bangladesh, minimal conservation action has occurred due to two primary reasons: Firstly, the main habitat blocks are within the politically complex region of the Chittagong Hill Tracts, plagued by conflict between the Bangladesh Government and a longstanding tribal insurgency movement. As a result, the forest governance system and enforcement of…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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