PHOTO: NOBEL CHAKMA

A velvet-black eastern hoolock gibbon clings to a slender bamboo in Lawachara National Park in Moulvibazar, quietly surveying its green kingdom. The eastern hoolock gibbon (Hoolock leuconedys) is a lesser ape, built to swing effortlessly through continuous forest canopies that serve as both road and refuge. Native to eastern Bangladesh, Northeast India, Myanmar, and Southwest China, it inhabits evergreen and semi-evergreen forests, often sleeping curled high on hilltop trees. Fruits, especially figs, form the bulk of its diet, supplemented by leaves, insects, and eggs. Their haunting morning duets echo across kilometres, strengthening lifelong family bonds. Listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, the species faces mounting threats from deforestation, habitat fragmentation, and hunting.