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9 - Demography and Group Dynamics of Western Hoolock Gibbons (Hoolock hoolock) in a Community Conserved Village Population in Upper Assam, India

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 April 2023

By
Jihosuo Biswas ,
Diplob Chutia ,
Jayanta Das ,
Joydeep Shil  and
H.N. Kumara
Edited by
Susan M. Cheyne ,
Carolyn Thompson ,
Peng-Fei Fan  and
Helen J. Chatterjee
Susan M. Cheyne
Affiliation:
Borneo Nature Foundation
Carolyn Thompson
Affiliation:
University College London
Peng-Fei Fan
Affiliation:
Sun Yat-Sen University, China
Helen J. Chatterjee
Affiliation:
University College London
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Summary

Fragmentation and rapid conversion of forested landscapes to farmland and human settlements in Upper Assam, India has led to the isolation of western hoolock gibbon (Hoolock hoolock) families in fragmented patches of village areas. Many families have perished due to resource scarcity and conflict with development; however, the villages of Barekuri area in Upper Assam have retained a substantial number of gibbon families for many years. We monitored the population (nine families) from 2011 to 2017 and present long-term data on social organisation and its dynamics in Barekuri area. We recorded eight births, nine deaths and four dispersals in the population. Five of the nine deaths were due to electrocution that reduced the population size from 29 individuals in nine groups in 2011 (3.22 ± SD 0.67) to 24 in seven groups in 2017 (3.29 ± SD 0.76), with a mean group size of 3.67 ± SD 0.85 which did not differ over the years. Female inter-birth intervals and ages at first reproduction are comparable with those in wild populations. Both males and females took the opportunity to form groups and breed, and male replacement and female surrogacy indicate flexibility in a pair-bond. Our observations thus support a growing knowledge of variability in the social organisation of gibbons.

Keywords

hoolock gibbonBarekuribirthdeathdispersal
Type
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Information
Gibbon Conservation in the Anthropocene , pp. 131 - 146
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

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