Hoolock Gibbon in slow motion flight between tree branches, Assam HD

A Hoolock Gibbon flight between tree branches at Hoollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary in Assam. India’s biodiversity is home to a varied number of plant and animal species. From the Asiatic Lions inhabiting the semi deciduous forests of western India to the royal Bengal Tigers of Sunderbans, the country has a flora and fauna treasure that is as diverse as the nation itself. But while monkeys and langurs are a common enough site in many Indian states, their cousins, the great man-like apes namely gorillas and orangutans are not found in India. The only tribe of apes inhabiting the country is the Hoolock Gibbons, found in the North-east forests. And because it is the only one, the ape is unquestionably a precious jewel of the Indian forest. Two species of Hoolock gibbons, Eastern Hoolock gibbon (Hoolock leuconedys) and Western Hoolock gibbon (Hoolock hoolock) have been reported to occur in India. They are found in Assam and the low-end forests of eastern Brahmaputra. They are also found in Nagaland. Like all apes, the Hoolock Gibbons are distinctive in the great development of the arms, which are much longer than the legs. They also do not possess any tail. The long arms are actually more than double the length of its legs and are a key balancing organ without the tail associated with arboreal monkeys. Gibbons are known most for their shrill calls. With the first rays of the sun, the family consisting of a group of 6-7 members starts jumping from tree to tree. It is then that one member, usually the father starts calling – a loud howl reverberating in the depths of the jungle. This is followed by calls of the other members of the family, chitchatting and progressing through the tree tops. It is believed that the name Hoolock too is is derived from the Assamese or Hindi word ‘ulluck’ meaning the loud call or howl of the gibbon. Today much of the gibbon population had been decimated and only few surviving groups are restricted to the mountainous primary forest regions straddling the boundaries. Hoolocks love hill forest but now neither the hills remain nor do the forests owing to mining, roads, infrastructure development and industrial presence. Poaching is one big threat to these apes as their body parts are used as traditional medicines. Their tree-top dwelling habits are no match to complicated firearms that are killing and destructing the species. Ironically, the existing population is very small and therefore, with poaching and habitat problems, the rapid depletion and extinction of the species is a grim reality. Source : indiasendangered.com This footage is part of the professionally-shot broadcast stock footage archive of Wilderness Films India Ltd., the largest collection of HD imagery from South Asia. The collection comprises of 100, 000+ hours of high quality broadcast imagery, mostly shot on HDCAM / SR 1080i High Definition, Alexa, SR, XDCAM and 4K. Write to us for licensing this footage on a broadcast format, for use in your production