Delhi zoo to attempt captive breeding of Western Hoolock Gibbon

A six -year-old female gibbon, which has arrived at the Delhi zoo, is related to the five pairs of gibbons that were rescued from Dibang Valley in Arunchal Pradesh between 2006 and 2008 and brought to the Biological Park in Itanagar.

Central Zoo Authority (CZA) member secretary B S Bonal said, “The hoolock gibbon conservation began at Itanagar and the biological park there has been identified as the coordinating zoo for the planned conservation breeding of the species.” The park had successfully bred eight offsprings between 2008 and 2012.

Apart from Itanagar, the Aizwal Zoo in Mizoram is the only zoo in India to have successfully bred the animal, with a birth in 2012, CZA records show. The Delhi zoo, after acquiring the female gibbon from Arunachal Pradesh, is attempting to recreate this success. If the zoo succeeds in its efforts, it will also be creating history — of having bred a rare species so far away from its natural habitat.
The key for achieving this would be the plans to develop Delhi zoo “along the lines of a rain forest” as stated in its Masterplan. “The Masterplan proposes a 65 per cent increase in woodland, water bodies and maintained green areas,” a CZA official said.

By 2009, the Western Hoolock Gibbon had made it to the ignominious list of being among the 25 most threatened primate species in the wild, compiled by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). It is listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List of threatened species. In subsequent years, it was taken off the list — owing to conservation efforts in the wild that countered hunting of the animal, habitat loss and captive breeding.

Its cousins, the Eastern Hoolock Gibbon, are also found in India, but are less endangered.

The female gibbon has joined the Delhi zoo’s resident male hoolock gibbon, also aged around six. “The female is healthy and the two seem to be getting along well. Hoolock gibbons have been known to mate for life and it is essential that they form a close bond in their initial days of living together,” a zoo official said.

Bonal said the captive breeding programme for gibbons in India has at its nucleus the objective of a successful reintroduction of the animal into the wild.

“Therefore, the enclosures are designed in such a way that the natural habitat is simulated. Breeding animals are kept away from human contact. Screening of health and health care is also of utmost importance,” he said.