<p>New Delhi: In a first, a male Western Hoolock Gibbon housed in the Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary in Assam's Jorhat district crossed the canopy bridges installed over a railway line passing through the sanctuary on Friday.</p>.<p>This is the first confirmed use of the canopy bridge by a gibbon at the sanctuary, and the first documented use of the structure over a railway line anywhere in the world, according to a statement by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII).</p>.Four Assam ministers allocated portfolios.<p>Canopy bridges are artificial or natural crossings that connect tree-tops. Aimed at wildlife conservation, these structures help arboreal animals cross roads or train tracks; enabling infrastructure development while minimising its impact on environment and wildlife.</p>.<p>In a post on X, Union Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav commended the "tech-led conservation" effort, saying, "Good to see that mitigation measures such as this canopy bridge made over a railway passing through Assam has started being used by Hoolock Gibbon. This shows science-led small-scale efforts can also be of great help in biodiversity conservation." The WII said the bridges were designed as to mitigate the impact of electrification works on the existing single-track Lumding-Dibrugarh railway line passing through the sanctuary, during February-March 2025.</p>.<p>Western Hoolock Gibbons are India's only ape species, and listed as endangered in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.</p>.<p>In India, they are found in all the northeast states, between south of the Brahmaputra and east of the Dibang river, according to a report by the World Wildlife Fund.</p>.<p>Outside India, Western Hoolock Gibbons are found in eastern Bangladesh and north-west Myanmar.</p>.Pawan Khera grilled for over 10 hours in Guwahati over case filed by Assam CM Himanta's wife.<p>They face numerous threats, including habitat encroachment by humans, forest clearance for tea cultivation, and illegal trade.</p>.<p>"Long-term solutions -- careful infrastructure planning and eco-conscious siting and creating reforested corridors to connect isolated populations -- remain critical for the long-term survival of exclusively arboreal and threatened species like gibbons," the WII said on X on Friday. </p>
<p>New Delhi: In a first, a male Western Hoolock Gibbon housed in the Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary in Assam's Jorhat district crossed the canopy bridges installed over a railway line passing through the sanctuary on Friday.</p>.<p>This is the first confirmed use of the canopy bridge by a gibbon at the sanctuary, and the first documented use of the structure over a railway line anywhere in the world, according to a statement by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII).</p>.Four Assam ministers allocated portfolios.<p>Canopy bridges are artificial or natural crossings that connect tree-tops. Aimed at wildlife conservation, these structures help arboreal animals cross roads or train tracks; enabling infrastructure development while minimising its impact on environment and wildlife.</p>.<p>In a post on X, Union Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav commended the "tech-led conservation" effort, saying, "Good to see that mitigation measures such as this canopy bridge made over a railway passing through Assam has started being used by Hoolock Gibbon. This shows science-led small-scale efforts can also be of great help in biodiversity conservation." The WII said the bridges were designed as to mitigate the impact of electrification works on the existing single-track Lumding-Dibrugarh railway line passing through the sanctuary, during February-March 2025.</p>.<p>Western Hoolock Gibbons are India's only ape species, and listed as endangered in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.</p>.<p>In India, they are found in all the northeast states, between south of the Brahmaputra and east of the Dibang river, according to a report by the World Wildlife Fund.</p>.<p>Outside India, Western Hoolock Gibbons are found in eastern Bangladesh and north-west Myanmar.</p>.Pawan Khera grilled for over 10 hours in Guwahati over case filed by Assam CM Himanta's wife.<p>They face numerous threats, including habitat encroachment by humans, forest clearance for tea cultivation, and illegal trade.</p>.<p>"Long-term solutions -- careful infrastructure planning and eco-conscious siting and creating reforested corridors to connect isolated populations -- remain critical for the long-term survival of exclusively arboreal and threatened species like gibbons," the WII said on X on Friday. </p>