Guwahati: Every morning in Barekuri’s 21 villages located in Assam’s Tinsukia district, women step out with food for some unusual neighbours. Hoolock gibbons swing through village lanes and household compounds, moving freely among the roughly 15,000 members of the Moran community who have long treated the endangered primates as part of their families.On World Gibbon Day on Saturday, the bond between people and apes took centre stage as women who regularly feed the gibbons took out a bicycle rally to spread awareness about their conservation.The villagers also renewed their demand for govt support to develop Barekuri as an ecotourism destination, seeking better roads, homestays and other facilities to accommodate domestic and foreign visitors.“There is immense potential for tourism, but both the govt and locals need to make concerted efforts. Our immediate priority is a better road network connecting all 21 villages,” said Satyajit Duarah, president of the Barekuri Eco Tourism Development Committee.A homestay in Dighal Sako village, established around a decade ago, is no longer enough to meet the demand from researchers and tourists. Duarah said each of Barekuri’s 21 villages needed at least two homestays.Dipti Bora, president of the Barekuri Hoolock Gibbon Conservation Society, said, “Hoolock gibbons are best spotted early in the morning, as they retreat to tall hollong trees and dense foliage by noon. Visitors need to stay overnight to catch a glimpse of them.”Locals estimate that the 21 villages are home to five gibbon families, comprising around 20 individuals, besides three gibbons that live separately. Their survival has been aided by a rare cultural relationship with the people of Barekuri, where the western hoolock gibbon is regarded not as a threat or nuisance but as a part of village life.The species is classified as “endangered” on the IUCN Red List.Arunjyoti Moran, chief executive member of the Moran Autonomous Council, said the threat of electrocution had been reduced through measures accompanying nearly 99% cable electrification in the area, including protective coating on electricity transmission wires. Some work remains, he added. “Our council has initiated discussions with the state govt on developing homestays and resorts, with a positive response so far,” Moran said.Participating in the bicycle rally, Makum MLA Sanjay Kishan said Barekuri had demonstrated how humans and wildlife could coexist.“The number of primates is increasing in Barekuri, while they have gone extinct in some reserve forests,” he said, adding that the rally aimed to encourage public participation in conservation.Prime Minister Narendra Modi had praised the Barekuri villagers’ deep connection with hoolock gibbons during an episode of Mann Ki Baat in 2024.On Saturday, chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma also highlighted the species’ importance to Assam’s natural heritage, citing conservation efforts such as a canopy bridge at Hollongapar in Jorhat district that helps gibbons cross a railway track safely.“As India’s only native ape species, its future depends on the collective efforts we make to protect it. At Hollongapar, seeing a gibbon use the canopy bridge built to help it cross the railway track safely was a heartening moment. Alongside such science led interventions, the bond our people share with these gentle primates is equally special,” Sarma wrote in a social media post on Saturday. “Every small step towards coexistence brings us closer to a future where Assam’s people and wildlife thrive together,” he added.
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