Gibbons under sound care in Yingjiang

In the early morning, the sound of the gibbons echoed through the dense forest. The villagers of the Sudian township of Yingjiang county, southwest Yunnan’s Dehong Dai and Jingpo autonomous prefecture, start their day protecting the rare animals. At the same time, the staff of the Sudian Protection Station of the Tongbiguan Provincial Nature Reserve are keeping a close eye on the gibbons.

"Protecting the gibbons is an important task. We’ve been conducting monitoring, population surveys, vocal monitoring, habitat restoration, field patrols and others,” said Li Peng, the director of the station, “and remarkable progress has been made in gibbon conservation. So, its population is increasing."

Sudian township covers an area of 428 square kilometers, with a forest coverage rate of over 92%. The wide coverage and variety of vegetation allow it becomes home to many rare wild animals, including the gibbons.

Currently, there are 14 gibbon family groups and 5 solitary gibbons, totaling about 45 individuals.

"More than a decade ago, it was rare to hear gibbons’ calls, let alone see them. Now, there is a family of two living in the hills, which is 200 meters from my home," said villager Cao Zhongcai with a smile.

Source: Yunnan Net; trans-editing by Wang Yunya