In Assam, the Hoolock gibbon, India’s only ape species, used a special canopy bridge to cross a railway line. This is the first such recorded case in the world. This bridge was built for the safe movement of wildlife.
A video of the famous Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary of Assam is going viral on social media. This video has been shared by an Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer, in which India’s only ape species ‘Hoolock Gibbon’ is seen crossing the railway line through a specially designed canopy bridge. This video has been posted by IFS officer Parveen Kaswan on X.
Kaswan said that this is the first confirmed case when a gibbon has used this human bridge built inside the sanctuary. According to the report, this is also the first recorded case in the world in which a gibbon has crossed such a structure built over an existing railway track. It can be seen in the clip that a lattice canopy bridge has been built high above the railway line, on which an agile monkey is carefully making his way. This lone Hoolock gibbon continued to move along a path made of rope and net, hanging without any support and maintaining perfect balance. In between he stopped for a few moments, but then continued his journey.
Sharing the video, Kaswan wrote, “Did you know that Hoolock gibbons are the only apes in India, and they spend almost their entire lives in the tree tops?”
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He explained that this canopy bridge was specially built inside the Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary in Assam so that these endangered creatures can move safely between the deforested areas and are not forced to land on the ground. Kaswan also emphasized that this successful crossing not only means that a gibbon has used a bridge for the first time in the sanctuary, but it is also the first recorded case globally when a gibbon has used a man-made canopy bridge built over a railway line. The initiative was credited to the Assam Forest Department and the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), whose combined efforts made this innovative conservation project possible.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma also shared the video on his official He added, “This is a small but important example that shows how science-based interventions can make a real difference to conservation.”
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Hoolock gibbons are known for their distinctive call, extraordinary agility and long swinging arms. These are the only monkey species of India. These are mainly found in the north-eastern states like Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya and Mizoram. These endangered creatures spend almost their entire life in the upper parts of the forests.
Unlike monkeys, hoolock gibbons do not have tails and rely heavily on interconnected trees for survival. They form families with a single partner and also play an important role in maintaining healthy forest ecosystems by dispersing seeds.