Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary

Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary is located 26º40'-26º45' N and 94º20' - 94º25' E in the eastern region of Assam. It is the only sanctuary in Assam where seven primate species of Northeastern India can be seen. It covers an area of 20.98 sq. km.

Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary in Assam derived its name from the Gibbons (Bunopithecus hoolock), which are one of the rarely found primate species in India. After relentless demand by the locals and various NGOs, the Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary was established in 1997. The sanctuary was originally a part of Hollongapar Reserve Forest rich in various plant species. The Forest has been named after the species of trees: Holong (Diperocarpus Macrocarpus) and Agar (Aquilaria agallocha). Apart from these, the other plant species found in the sanctuary are Garcinia spp., Terminalia mycocarpe, Artocarpus chaplasha, Mesua ferra, Lagerstromia speciasa, and several species of bamboo, Michelia champaca, ferns and orchids.

If you visit Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary you can see several primate species like Trachypithecus pileatus capped langur, Bunopithcus hoolock Hoolock gibbon, M. mulatta rhesus macaque, Macaca arctoides stump tailed macaque, M. nemestrina pig tailed macaque, Nycticebus coucang slow loris, and M. assamensis Assamese macaque, of which six of the seven primate species have been declared highly endangered. Some of the other animals found in the sanctuary are elephants, sambar, wild boar, tiger, jungle cat, leopard cat, barking deer, Himalayan orange bellied squirrel, horry bellied squirrel, gecko lizard, cobra, Malayan giant squirrel, Indian civet, fox, python, common monitor lizard, etc. During the census of 2000 the presence of two tigers were confirmed in the sanctuary.