Relentless Fight: Barekuri’s Inspiring Battle to Save Hoolock Gibbons 6 Months After ‘Mann Ki Baat’
Guwahati, Feb 22: Six months have passed since Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted the unique relationship between Barekuri village in Assam’s Tinsukia district and the endangered Hoolock Gibbons during the 113th episode of Mann Ki Baat. Despite national recognition, the village, primarily inhabited by the Moran community, faces significant challenges in conserving these primates due to a lack of government support.
Modi praised villagers for their deep connection with the gibbons, whom they name, care for, and honor with rituals. However, residents, like Lohit Chutia, emphasize the urgent need for governmental assistance. Chutia, who cares for gibbons named Bogi and Gelsi, has faced setbacks since the male gibbon, Kuit’s, death. With no new males in sight, concerns have intensified.
The villagers lament the absence of essential infrastructure upgrades, such as road improvements and fruit-bearing tree plantations, crucial for the gibbons’ sustenance. “The road to my house is terrible, and there’s been no action on planting trees that could feed the gibbons,” Chutia told The Assam Tribune, adding that he has been purchasing bananas to support the primates out of his own pocket.
Environmentalists, including Dilip Nath, have urged Assam’s Chief Minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, to initiate immediate conservation measures. Nath highlighted the dire food scarcity for gibbons and the villagers’ struggles to protect them, urging plantation drives and sustainable food sources. He’s even offered to plant fruit trees himself and called for Barekuri’s recognition as a reserve for Hoolock Gibbons.
Despite assurances from Sandeep Kumar, Principal Chief Conservator of Forest and Head of Forest Force, villagers continue to feel neglected, voicing uncertainties about their conservation efforts’ future. As they strive to protect the endangered primates, it remains to be seen if governmental support will foster the required change.
Original Source: https://assamtribune.com/assam/6-months-after-mann-ki-baat-barekuris-battle-to-protect-gibbons-continues-1569024
Category : Assam,Featured
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Publish Date: 2025-02-22 18:28:00
