Guwahati: The electrocution of a critically endangered Western Hoolock Gibbon inside Assam’s Hollongapar Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary has triggered a significant social media campaign, with conservationists and citizens demanding urgent intervention and the rerouting of the electrified railway line that cuts through India’s only ape habitat.
“This is not merely an accident; it is a preventable tragedy that exposes the cost of fragmented planning,” said a wildlife conservationist involved in the online campaign.
Posts tagged #SaveTheGibbon and #AssamForests have flooded digital platforms, accompanied by infographics explaining how the 1.65-km electrified railway stretch bisects the 20.98-sq km sanctuary and disrupts fragile canopy connectivity essential for arboreal primates.
The male gibbon reportedly came into contact with a 25 KV overhead electric line within the sanctuary limits. The electrification project had received clearance from the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife in October 2024, with assurances of mitigation measures including canopy bridges and monitoring systems.
“We were told mitigation structures would ensure zero harm. The fact that a gibbon died barely metres from a canopy bridge raises serious questions about implementation and ecological oversight,” another campaign supporter said, urging authorities to commission an independent ecological review.
Reports indicate the animal was found about 30 metres from a newly constructed canopy bridge, after natural canopy links had been altered during the installation of electric poles.
Home to around 125 gibbons in 26 family groups, according to the 2023 census, the sanctuary is globally significant.
With fewer than 5,000 Western Hoolock Gibbons estimated to remain worldwide, conservation groups argue that permanent realignment of the railway outside the protected area is the only sustainable solution.
They warned that further habitat fragmentation could imperil Assam’s last surviving ape population.