Skywalker Hoolock Gibbon Hoolock tianxing
Endangered
China, Myanmar
The Hoolock Gibbons are three species located in South Central Asia. They are the second largest of the gibbons after the Siamang. They have rings around their eyes and mouths giving them a mask-like appearance. Like other gibbon species they call to each other in regionalised accents, have long swinging arms and superior acrobatic skills.
In #Myanmar, the Skywalker Hoolock Gibbon is endangered on @IUCNredlist due to complex threats incl. slash and burn #deforestation for #palmoil and mining. Support this precious species with #fanart and #boycott4wildlife
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The Skywalker Hoolock Gibbon is a forest-dweller that inhabits primary evergreen, scrub and semi-deciduous hill forest, as well as mountainous broadleaf forest, but it cannot survive in pine-dominated forest. It ranges up to 2,700 m in elevation in Mt. Gaoligong (P.-F. Fan et al. 2013). The annual mean temperature is 13.3 °C and 13.1°C at two sites of Mt. Gaoligong. Gibbon habitat can be covered by snow in cold winters.
In Myanmar, the Skywalker Hoolock Gibbon remains threatened by habitat loss due largely to slash-and-burn agriculture, gold mining and logging, and secondarily by hunting for food and medicinal purposes (Ni et al. 2018). Unfortunately, the species is not known to occur in any protected areas in this country.
IUCN Red List
How to easily identify gibbons by Noah RNS Shepherd
The Skywalker Hoolock Gibbon is considered Endangered. A suspected population decline caused by significant and accelerating rates of deforestation is projected to continue and perhaps accelerate. Combined with the facts that more than 90% of the population is believed to occur outside of protected areas, and the species continues to be hunted for food and medicinal purposes, a population loss equalling or exceeding 50% can be anticipated over three generations (between the years 2000 and 2045).
In China, although commercial logging has been banned, the Skywalker Hoolock Gibbon is threatened by small-scale habitat loss, degradation, fragmentation, and hunting (Fan et al. 2011, Yin et al. 2016). Local people believe that the brain of hoolock gibbons can be used to cure epilepsy. Nearly half of the remnant population now live in agro-forestry complexes (e.g., cardamom cultivation). Although cardamom cultivation causes some negative effects on gibbons, these agro-forestry complexes provide important gibbon habitat provided they are not too fragmented and hunting is prohibited (Zhang et al. 2014).
Support the conservation of this species
This animal has no protections in place. Read about other forgotten species here. Create art to support this forgotten animal or raise awareness about them by sharing this post and using the #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife hashtags on social media. Also you can boycott palm oil in the supermarket.
Further Information
Fan, P.F., Turvey, S.T. & Bryant, J.V. 2020. Hoolock tianxing (amended version of 2019 assessment). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: e.T118355648A166597159. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-1.RLTS.T118355648A166597159.en. Downloaded on 06 February 2021.
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