'India's only ape' species uses bridge to cross rail tracks in Assam. Watch

An Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer shared a video from Assam’s Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary showing a hoolock gibbon, which is India’s only ape species, using a specially built canopy bridge to cross a railway line.

The video was shared by IFS officer Parveen Kaswan on X, where he emphasised the significance of the moment, calling it the first confirmed use of the man-made bridge by a gibbon in the sanctuary, and the first documented instance anywhere in the world of a gibbon using such a structure above an active railway line.

In the clip, the camera pointed skyward toward a suspended mesh canopy bridge stretched high above the ground. A lone hoolock gibbon could be seen carefully making its way across the rope-and-net structure, moving steadily while hanging and balancing with ease.

The animal paused briefly at different moments before continuing its crossing. The short but striking video captured what several wildlife lovers described as a rare glimpse of conservation efforts paying off in real time.

Sharing the footage, Kaswan wrote, “Do you know Hoolock Gibbons are India’s only ape, and it spends almost its entire life in the treetops?”

He explained that the bridge had been specially constructed for the primates at Assam’s Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary to help them safely move across fragmented forest patches without descending to the ground, which was a dangerous necessity often caused by railway tracks and habitat disruption.

Kaswan then mentioned that the crossing marked not only the first confirmed use of the structure by a gibbon in the sanctuary, but also the first documented instance globally of a gibbon using a man-made canopy bridge over a railway line.

He credited the initiative to the Assam Forest Department and Wildlife Institute of India (WII).

Watch the video here:

The Chief Minister of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarmam, also shared the video of the instance on his official X account, writing, "A year after installing the arboreal canopy bridge, a Hoolock Gibbon is now using it to safely cross the railway track."

He also added: "A small but significant example that shows how science-led interventions can make a real difference in conservation."

The video received a whole lot of admiration online, with several users calling it a hopeful example of how infrastructure and wildlife conservation could coexist.

While some users expressed excitement at finally seeing the bridge being used after years of effort, others simply described the moment as amazing and heartening, praising the innovation behind the project.

Hoolock gibbons are India’s only ape species, known for their striking calls, long arms, and agile tree-swinging movements through dense forests. They are found mainly in the northeastern states such as Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, and parts of Mizoram.

These endangered apes live in monogamous family groups and play an important role in maintaining forest ecosystems by dispersing seeds. Unlike monkeys, hoolock gibbons do not have tails and are highly dependent on undisturbed forest canopies for survival.