WII reports western hoolock gibbons rarely used canopy bridges in Hollongapar sanctuary
Wildlife Institute of India (WII) researchers reported monitoring artificial canopy bridges over a 1.65 km railway line inside Assam’s Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary (installed Feb–Mar 2025) and recorded western hoolock gibbons making 3 crossings despite 54 approaches during 932 mornings and 477 afternoons of observation. The findings were presented at WII’s annual research seminar in Dehradun, and researchers reiterated their recommendation to realign the railway track outside the sanctuary as a durable mitigation measure.
This evidence changes the conservation understanding of what mitigation works at this site, informing decisions on whether to pursue track realignment to reduce habitat fragmentation affecting an important gibbon population in the sanctuary.