Villagers in Barekuri, Assam, have lived closely with endangered hoolock gibbons for generations. A new Guardian documentary shows their bond – and the fight to protect them
n a misty winter morning, farmer Mohit Chutia sits on the ground outside his home rocking his grandson in his lap. He sings about the hoolock gibbons, the only ape species in. High in the tree canopy above, the gibbons leap gracefully from branch to branch. Below, Chutia and his family watch.
“They are like my own children,” says Chutia. His close bond with the gibbons has prompted other villagers to call himThe hoolock gibbon is found only in a few places in the world and estimates of total numbers are uncertain. It was once thought India had about 12,000, but in 2017 experts revised this down to between 5,000 and 10,000.
The canopy used to be so thick that villagers would hear the hoolocks’ calls – a collection of whoops and hoots – but only caught glimpses of them. However, deforestation, mining for oil and gas, expansion of villages and roads, and the growth of monoculture crops such as tea have all fragmented the forest cover.“For the gibbons, who are almost totally arboreal, it means they are cut off from areas of the forest, unable to cross the open areas created by the road and rail line.
The tree canopy looks lush and thick but Chutia says there are not enough fruit trees. “The day I saw them eating leaves years ago, I realised they weren’t getting enough fruit. If they had had enough fruit, they would never have taken the bananas I offered them,” he says.The story of humans and gibbons is not only one of peaceful coexistence, but also looming threats. As you drive through the forest, oil and gas rigs loom into view, flares burning.
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