TURA: The Tura Garo Senior Citizens Forum (TGSCF) on Monday urged Chief Minister Conrad Sangma to withdraw the proposal to relocate hoolock gibbons from the Sonja Wildlife Rescue Centre in East Garo Hills, fearing that relocation would endanger them.
The request for the Chief Minister’s intervention comes after it was learned that the Forest and Environment Department proposes to shift the gibbons from the centre to the upcoming Meghalaya State Zoo at Umtrew, as well as to zoos in Guwahati and Lucknow.
The forum, opposing the proposed move, sought the CM’s intervention to halt it. They pointed out that the people of Silsotchigre, where the rescue centre is established, prefer the setting up of a hoolock breeding centre with the required support from the government instead of merely relocating the animals.
The forum also highlighted that the gibbons have always been held in high regard by the Garos and that relocating them from their natural habitat might endanger them due to unsuitable habitat and climatic conditions elsewhere.
The forum reminded of the incident in which a hoolock gibbon escaped from the centre in 2023 after its cage was destroyed in a storm, adding that security and safety measures are not adequate at the rescue centre.
“The state of the rescue centre needs to be improved and developed, and we urge the government to extend full support for its up-gradation to preserve these unique animals at the site,” the forum stated.
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The forum also called on Chief Minister Conrad Sangma to prevail upon the concerned department to review and withdraw the proposal for shifting the animals, taking into account the protection and preservation of the flora and fauna of the land.
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