In the tropical rainforest of Hainan Bawangling National Nature Reserve, if you are lucky, you can see their figures swaying between tall and tall trees and broad-leaved forests that shade the sky. They live in trees all their lives, never go to the ground, and often sing in the early morning, usually "leading the song" by the male, making a long, whistle-like clear tone, followed by the female echoing with a vibrato, which then resonates with the rest of the group. The volume gradually increased from low to high, and the tone was high-pitched and gentle, like a whistle throughout the valley. This is how they declare territorial possession or communicate emotions. They are "the loneliest closest relatives of mankind" – the Hainan black-crowned gibbon.
Gibbons are one of the world's four major great apes and are close relatives of humans. Hainan gibbon is rated as critically endangered by the World Conservation Union, ranked as one of the 25 endangered primate species in the world, and is currently only distributed within the pilot area of the Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park system, which is an indicator species of authenticity and integrity of Hainan tropical rainforest, and is a veritable "Hainan giant panda"!
The Hainan black-crowned gibbon (scientific name: Nomascus hainanus) has a large difference in coat color between the sexes and can be clearly distinguished. Adult males are black throughout with some white or yellow hairs around their mouths. Adult females have golden yellow coats with a dark spot on the top of the head and abdomen. It belongs to the medium-sized arboreal apes, with a body length of up to 40-50 cm, no tail, and prefers to live in a family style.
The left is female and the right is male
< h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" >Why is the Hainan black-crowned gibbon endangered? </h1>
Unlike other apes, the Hainan black-crowned gibbon has a strong dependence on the environment and can only survive in the primitive monsoon forest, which means that the environment such as ecological destruction, deforested secondary forests, and late-stage cultivated planted forests cannot meet its living environment needs.
The high degree of dependence on the environment and the continuous destruction of the primary forests on which it depends are an important reason for the continuous decline of the black-crowned gibbon in Hainan. With the large number of people cutting down and reclaiming natural forests, the tropical rainforest on the island has been lost in a large area, most of the low-altitude tropical rainforest has been destroyed, and the remaining rainforests have become green "isolated islands", which has damaged and gradually deteriorated the habitat of the black-crowned gibbon in Hainan.
In the past, the greatest harm to the survival of the black-crowned gibbon in Hainan was the hunting of humans. Hainan black-crowned gibbon is also known as the black ape, its skeleton is the medicinal material "black ape bone", the traditional theory of Chinese medicine believes that it has the effect of nourishing the face, dispelling wind and strengthening the bones, relieving the muscles and invigorating the blood. Because of its medicinal value, it has led to large-scale poaching and killing, resulting in a sharp decrease in the number of black-crowned gibbons in Hainan. No buying and selling, no killing!
< h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" > so why can't the population be increased by breeding offspring? </h1>
Due to the scarcity of the number, inbreeding naturally occurs, resulting in less genetic variation, making it less adaptable to environmental changes, coupled with the small population of the Hainan black-crowned gibbon, its own low reproductive rate, long-term recurrence, making it endangered.
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > the current status of the black-crowned gibbon in Hainan</h1>
On March 2 and 3 this year, the Hainan Gibbon Monitoring Team of the Bawangling Branch of the Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park Administration found that a baby ape was added to the B and D groups of Hainan gibbons, which were 7 months old and 6 months old, respectively, and continuous monitoring showed that the two baby apes were in good health and had normal growth and development. On August 23, the Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park Administration held an expert appraisal meeting, and the members of the expert group unanimously confirmed the two newborn baby apes. At this point, the population of the black-crowned gibbon in Hainan has recovered to 35 in 5 groups.
Group B Image source: Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park Administration
Group D Image source: Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park Administration
In recent years, the state has vigorously promoted the governance of the ecological environment, and has continuously introduced relevant policies for the protection of wild animals, protecting their original habitats through green and scientific methods, and restoring other habitats.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > summary</h1>
The endangered case is by no means a species of Hainan black-crowned gibbon, and for wild animals, there is no killing without buying and selling! People and nature should live in harmony, they should follow the laws of nature, protect the ecological environment, and give them a stable life. I also hope that in the future they will still be in the rain forest, free to roam, and shout loudly!
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