Wednesday, March 27, 2024

The Western Hoolock Gibbon, The Forgotten Ape Of India

A male hoolock gibbon at the Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary
A male hoolock gibbon at the Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary. Image credit: Oishimaya Sen Nag

Our closest relatives on our Planet Earth, the Greater Apes, like the chimpanzees and gorillas of Equatorial Africa and the orangutans of Southeast Asia, are no strangers to us, thanks to many mentions of these animals in popular culture. We humans share well over 95% of our genetic code with these apes, who are heavily featured in films, documentaries, books, and social media worldwide. However, did you know that India is also home to an ape species closely linked to us on the evolutionary tree? It is the Western hoolock gibbon or Hoolock hoolock. Interestingly, the species is often reported as India's one and only ape, leaving out humans who, according to taxonomic classification, belong to the same family Hominidae as the Greater Apes and, hence, might also be regarded as an ape species. Coming back to the Western hoolock gibbon, however, it is important to know that they are no less fascinating than a chimpanzee or an orangutan but mostly remain out of the spotlight. Sadly, the apathy shown to them is a major reason why the numbers of these apes are dropping perilously. So, here is an article dedicated to the fascinating Western hoolock gibbons of India. 

Where To Find The Hoolocks In India?


Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary
With the forest guard and guide at the Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary, Assam. 


In taxonomic terms, the Western hoolock gibbon is a gibbon species of the Hylobatidae family, which accommodates four genera with 20 species. These lesser apes lack a tail like all other apes, distinguishing them from other primates like the monkeys. The genera Hoolock includes three species, of which only the Western hoolock gibbon inhabits India, as confirmed by a 2021 scientific study


The Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary in Assam near the quaint Assamese town of Mariani is the best bet for those interested in watching these apes in action. It is a beautiful, lush wilderness dedicated to these gibbons, although it also houses six other primate species as well. Jorhat in Assam houses the nearest airport to this sanctuary. 


Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary, Assam
Trail path through the Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary, Assam. The forest is an ideal example of a prime habitat of the Western hoolock gibbon. Image credit: Oishimaya Sen Nag


The Western hoolock gibbon has also been reported living in other forests of the state and across the six other north-eastern states of the country, namely, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland, Tripura, and Meghalaya. Its range also stretches into parts of Myanmar and Bangladesh. However, the species' distribution across the range is highly patchy due to the extremely fragmented nature of their habitat.



Video: Western hoolock gibbons in their natural habitat at the Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary, Assam. Video credit: Oishimaya Sen Nag


What is vital for these gibbons is the presence of a continuous cover of trees to support their nearly 100% arboreal lifestyle. These gibbons occupy canopies in tropical and sub-tropical evergreen and semi-evergreen forests with limited distribution in other types of forests like deciduous.


The Hoolock Look


Video: Male Western hoolock gibbon feeding on a tree. Video credit: Oishimaya Sen Nag


It appears that nature has taken great care in designing the Western hoolock gibbons. Males and females exhibit sexual dimorphism, with males sporting a black pelage while females adorn a brownish-grey fur that is darker at the chest and neck. Two white fur patches over the eyes of the males give them the name "white-browed" gibbons, while females have a mask-like appearance with whitish rings around the eyes and mouth. Juveniles of both sexes are born with a pale brownish fur that turns black as they grow. Upon maturity, the black in females changes to their adult colouration. 


A female Western hoolock gibbon. Image credit: Oishimaya Sen Nag.


Hoolocks are not just interesting in appearance. They are also well-adapted to living on the trees. Watching them moving from one tree to another at speeds of up to 55 km/hr by brachiation is quite a delight. Their long forelimbs, hook-like elongated fingers, prehensile feet and flexible ankle joints all come together to make them true tree-dwellers. They also exhibit suspensory feeding, where they dangle from a tree with one of their hands clinging onto a branch and eating with the other hand.


What Hoolocks Eat And Drink?


The Western hoolock gibbon is primarily a frugivore; it specialises in feeding on fruit pulp and has a simple stomach that cannot digest complex compounds. When food is scarce, these gibbons might resort to feeding on other plant parts like flowers, leaves, and shoots, or even insects or other animal matter as well. Hoolocks spend over 27% of their daily time foraging and more than 30% of their time feeding. The rest of their time goes into resting, socialising, and other activities. As they almost never come down to the ground, they get their water from the food they eat and also drink water collected in the tree hollows by scooping it up with their hands and licking it.


The Hoolock Family


Video: Brachiation exhibited by a male Western hoolock gibbon at the Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary, Assam. Video credit: Oishimaya Sen Nag


Hoolock gibbons do not form very large social groups but exist in small family groups, each with an adult male and female and three to four of their offspring. Larger groups sometimes exist, especially when large patches of unfragmented habitat are present. While these gibbons are known to be monogamous, mating with the same partner throughout their lifetime, exceptions have also been observed.


Males usually initiate mating, approaching females, with the couple grooming, playing, and spending time together before copulation. A single offspring is born after a gestation period of 180 to 240 days.


Saving The Hoolocks 


Video: A male Western hoolock gibbon at the Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary, Assam. Video credit: Oishimaya Sen Nag


It is quite easy to understand why the Western hoolock gibbon is a threatened species occupying the "Endangered" position on the IUCN Red List. It absolutely needs continuous tree cover to survive, and that is what is totally lacking in the range occupied by this species.


Deforestation across the species' range to make space for human occupation, tea gardens, other agricultural practices, etc., has reduced the connectivity between forest patches occupied by these gibbons. The populations are now isolated across the range in islands of forests surrounded by multiple-use landscapes. Without a connection between populations, inbreeding is unavoidable, reducing the genetic vitality of the species. Further, even these forested habitats are further fragmented by linear infrastructure. For example, a 1.6 km railway line runs right through the Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary, fragmenting it into two unequal halves with hoolock gibbon populations on either side but disconnected from each other. In some parts of their range, these primates are also poached for meat and other body parts for use in traditional practices. 


Railway line cutting through the Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary, separating hoolock gibbon families on either side of the railway line. Image credit: Oishimaya Sen Nag


Saving the future of the Western hoolock gibbon won't be easy, given their highly specific needs for dense forest cover and the rapid urbanisation and developmental activities occurring across its range. However, conserving the species is vital to protect not just the gibbons but also the highly biodiverse forests they occupy, which provide humans with numerous ecosystem services that are absolutely needed for our healthy and peaceful living.


Protectors of the Western Hoolock Gibbons. Forest guard and guide at the Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary in Assam. Guns are kept to scare away elephants in case they are encountered while patrolling the sanctuary on foot. Image credit: Oishimaya Sen Nag.

More focus on the Western hoolock gibbon is needed. It is a species that remains out of the spotlight. Many people across the country are not even aware of the presence of such a unique ape species, but many are often obsessed with chimpanzees and orangutans found in other countries. The Western hoolock gibbon is a source of pride for India and a valuable inhabitant of the country. We all need to play an essential role in creating education and awareness about the species and the need to conserve it.



Writer: Dr. Oishimaya Sen Nag


Monday, March 25, 2024

The Three Crocodilians Of India

A gharial in the Chambal River. Image credit: Charles J. Sharp via Wikimedia Commons.

Crocodiles have always inspired our awe and triggered our primaeval fear instinct. These giants of the water have been part of thousands of folktales across the world, revered as deities in many cultures, and also featured in several thrilling documentaries and movies. India is no exception. Mythological tales from the country are replete with stories of the "makara," the Sanskrit name for the mugger crocodiles, a crocodile species widely distributed in India. However, India is home not just to the muggers but two more species of crocodilians who all belong to the Order Crocodilia. These are the saltwater crocodiles and the gharials. These reptilians are extremely important species of the aquatic ecosystems where they are found. While they might appear to dominate the aquatic realm they inhabit, human activities highly threaten them. Let us take a closer look at the three species of crocodiles found in India below and their current conservation status and threats:

Saltwater Crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus)


A saltwater crocodile in Bhitarkanika National Park. Image credit: Bodhan Nayek via Wikimedia Commons.


The world's largest reptilians, males of this species can grow as long as 20 feet and weigh as much as 1,500 kgs! Females are relatively much smaller, growing to around 10 feet long. The saltwater or estuarine crocodile has a much more widespread global distribution than the other two crocodilians of India. In the country, the best places to see these giants are along the eastern coastline of India, especially in Bhitarkanika of Odisha, the Sunderbans of West Bengal, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Their distribution of the salties ranges from India to Southeast Asia to Australia and the other islands of Oceania.


Saltwater Crocodile at eye level in Sundarban Tiger Reserve, West Bengal, India. Image credit: Soumyajit Nandy, via Wikimedia Commons

The saltwater crocodiles are well-adapted to live in saltwater environments but are also occasionally found in freshwater habitats when they swim upstream of rivers at coastal deltas. These crocodiles are apex predators and hypercarnivores that feed on almost any other species when the opportunity arises. They kill by ambush and drag their prey into the water, drowning the prey or swallowing the prey alive. These crocodiles have the strongest bites among all animals. These crocodiles also spend less time on land than most other crocodilians. They have been known to spend days in the water migrating long distances. 


The salties also do not shy away from attacking humans as prey, and cases of negative human-saltwater crocodile interactions are quite prevalent. However, even these massive predators are threatened by human activities. Although their wider distribution makes the salties a species labelled as "Least Concern" on the IUCN Red List, they face many threats to survival like killing by humans, illegal trade, poaching for meat and eggs, developmental activities in their habitats leading to destruction of such habitats, etc.


Mugger Crocodile (Crocodylus palustris)


Mugger crocodile at Bhadra Reservoir, Karnataka. Image credit: Kandukuru Nagarjun from Bangalore, India via Wikimedia Commons.


This crocodile species, also called the marsh crocodile, is most widespread in India and is found across freshwater habitats like rivers, lakes, marshes, etc. Globally, the species ranges from southern Iran and east to the Indian subcontinent. The mugger derives its name from the Sanskrit word "makara" and is revered in ancient Indian culture as the vehicle of Hindu deities like Ganga and Varuna. It is also associated with both positive and negative symbolism. 


The mugger is mid-sized, growing up to around 16 feet in length. It also moves on land in search of newer aquatic habitats. Its prey base is quite wide, like that of the saltwater crocodile, as it is the apex predator in the ecosystem where it is found. Unlike the salty, however, the mugger is a threatened species listed as "Vulnerable" on the IUCN Red List. Destruction and degradation of aquatic habitats, water pollution, fishing-related deaths and injuries, revenge killing by humans, poaching and illegal trade, etc., are major factors responsible for declining populations of the muggers. 


Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus)


One of the most threatened of all Crocodilians, the critically endangered gharial, is a rare sight today in India's rivers. It was once found across many river systems in the Indian subcontinent, where it is endemic. Today, this reptile's distribution is quite restricted, and it is found only in India, Nepal, and Bangladesh. It is now extinct in Pakistan and Bhutan. The Chambal River in northern India hosts nearly 80 to 85% of the reptile's global population.


A male gharial
A male gharial. Image credit: Charles J. Sharp via Wikimedia Commons.

The longest among all crocodilians, male gharials grow up to 19 feet, while females grow as long as 14 feet. The snouts of gharials are also much longer and narrower than other crocodilians and come with a set of 110 sharp, interlocking teeth that are ideal for consuming fish. Gharials are thus primarily piscivorous and are unable to prey on larger animals, including humans. An interesting feature of male gharials is the bulbous protrusion at the end of their long snouts, which look like an earthen pot; hence, the name gharials as "ghara" in the local language refers to an earthen pot.


Gharials are very aquatic and do not move too far away from the water bodies they inhabit but bask and nest on the sand banks and sand bars along the water. Muggers move further inland, climbing embankments or rocky slopes. 


An Indian skimmer and a gharial on a sand bar in the Chambal River. Image credit: Rito1987 via Wikimedia Commons.

Gharials went almost extinct by the 2000s when urgent conservation efforts were launched to save the last of the species. Fortunately, captive breeding of gharials worked so that gharials could be released into the wild to restore their populations. Despite the gradual revival in the gharial population, stability has not yet been achieved. A multitude of issues like developmental activities along rivers, sand mining, creation of dams and irrigation canals, pollution, etc., continue to endanger the lives of gharials.


Crocodilians are indicator species. Their population stability indicates that their prey species are present in good numbers, which, in turn, means that the aquatic ecosystems they inhabit are in good condition. We, humans, depend on these aquatic ecosystems for our lives and livelihoods. Hence, the crocodilians show us whether our future is secure or at stake. Conserving them translates to protecting our rivers, lakes, wetlands, and coastal waters and is the need of the day.

Tuesday, February 20, 2024

Does India Need Its Own Red List Of Threatened Species?

A beautiful Gond art painting. Image credit: Vanam Art.

In India, whenever we want to know about the conservation status of a species, all we do is go to the IUCN Red List Site, enter the name of the species, and get the needed details. If we are even lazier, we search for the Wikipedia entry on the species, and there, on the right side of the page, is the column showing the species' conservation status as per the IUCN Red List. However, only less than 10% of the more than 2 million described species on Earth have been assessed for the Red List! It means that the conservation status of over 90% of the world's species still remains to be evaluated by the IUCN. Many such species might be on the brink and even go extinct before we have the chance to launch efforts to conserve them. To overcome this lacunae, we need more detailed and widespread research and assessment of species. One of the ways to bring that about could be to create country-specific Red Lists. Many countries, like the United States, Australia, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, and others, have already produced such lists. So, why not have our own Indian Red List? A list specifically catering to species that call India home? That way, we can get a more comprehensive list of our species to understand their conservation status and take well-targeted actions to conserve them.

The idea of an Indian red list or threatened species list is not brand new but has been floating around for quite some time. I only learned about it recently at a conference where a wildlife biologist giving a presentation on a lesser-known species mentioned the urgent need for India to create such a list to account for many species found in India that the IUCN Red List has not assessed.


When searching the internet, I also came across this 2011 Deccan Herald report, which was about India launching a mission to create a country-specific endangered species list. Initiated by the Environment Ministry of India, the aim was to create two separate red lists for plants and animals and to release the same during the 2012 COP-11 to be held in Delhi. The species would be evaluated using a model similar to the IUCN assessment model, and the task would be performed by various organisations, but the ultimate responsibility of verification and publication would lie with the Botanical Survey of India and the Zoological Survey of India. The reason to create such lists would be to bring to the forefront all species that do not receive conservation attention but urgently need protection. It would be a comprehensive list that would guide further conservation research and education in India.


However, over a decade later, I could not find any further reports on such lists created by searching online. Even today, thousands of species of plants and animals found in India remain out of the limelight, with many possibly on the verge of extinction, but we are hardly aware of the same. Can India's own Red List help improve the status of such species? If so, how and when can the project be executed? But most importantly, the question is, "Is India ready to have its own Red List.?"

Wednesday, February 14, 2024

Where Are India's Snow Leopards?

snow leopard india
Snow leopard in the mountains of Ladakh. Image credit: NCF India / Snow Leopard Trust

This news is exciting indeed. India has completed the first-ever population estimation of snow leopards living in the country through the SPAI (Snow Leopard Population Assessment in India) Program. The results are out, and now we have the much-needed baseline data to further the conservation work to save the species. According to the estimation, Ladakh boasts the highest count of snow leopards at 477, followed by Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh with 124 and 51 snow leopards, respectively. The other three states with snow leopards are Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, and Jammu and Kashmir, with 36, 21, and 9 snow leopards recorded, respectively. The total count of India thus comes to be 718! While this might not be a huge figure, it definitely has good potential for conserving the species in the face of a multitude of challenges.


Where Was The Snow Leopard?


Snow leopard in the mountains of Ladakh. Image credit: NCF India / Snow Leopard Trust


Snow leopards have existed for millions of years in the snow-clad, high-altitude ranges of the mighty Himalayas in some of the most extreme conditions on the planet. However, unlike the tigers and leopards inhabiting the relatively lower altitudes, these gorgeous beings and apex predators of the high-mountain ecosystem were largely left out of the spotlight for a long, long time. With our advancements in science and technology, our ability to access and encroach into snow leopard habitats increased, and so did our thrilling tales of snow leopard sightings. Initially, local communities who expanded their settlements into snow leopard habitats came in contact with them, and there were retaliations when these predators preyed on the livestock of these communities. Many snow leopards have been killed over the centuries due to such negative interactions. More recently, however, human-snow leopard encounters have been more favourable due to the advent of snow leopard tourism. Snow leopards in the mountains are now what tigers are in the lowland forests - a source of economy for the locals through tourism. Snow leopard photographers have boomed in recent times, and so has the desire of people to catch a glimpse of this highly elusive cat but a gorgeous one to behold! Now, instead of herding livestock, local communities are opening new homestays, restaurants, and other tourist facilities to welcome people from India and abroad to come to see the snow leopard with whom they share the habitat. Thus, all this attention showered on these majestic animals has at least given us a fair idea of where our snow leopards are, their role as climate change indicators, and their growing value in the tourism industry, paving the way for the first-ever population estimation of the species.


Where Are The Snow Leopards?


A wild female snow leopard resting in Ladakh, India. Image credit: T. R. Shankar Raman via Wikimedia Commons

Snow leopards are distributed across 12 range countries over an area of nearly 2 million sq. km. These countries are Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, China, Mongolia, and Russia. The population of this species is estimated to be anywhere around 3,000 to 5,000 individuals based on various estimates taken in these range countries at different points of time. China is known to host the highest population among these range countries. Although the big cat species was classified as Endangered by the IUCN, more recent knowledge of its estimated population has led to its re-classification as Vulnerable, one step lower in the threatened category. However, experts agree that there is still a great cause for concern and if conservation strategies are not implemented vigorously, the species might quickly get to the brink.


India's Count


The SPAI Program was carried out by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) with support from the state governments of the country's snow leopard states, WWF-India, and Nature Conservation Foundation, Mysuru. Around 70% of the species' known habitat (about 107,594 sq. km) was surveyed for the count with the help of scientists, wildlife staff, volunteers, and others from 2019 to 2023. Snow leopard spatial distribution and abundance were measured, with around 13,450 km of trails being covered and 1,971 camera traps being installed. The following is the result:


  1. Ladakh - 477
  2. Uttarakhand - 124
  3. Himachal Pradesh - 51
  4. Arunachal Pradesh - 36 
  5. Sikkim - 21
  6. Jammu and Kashmir - 9


Where To See Snow Leopards In India?


A snow leopard in the snow. Image credit: Photo by Ismail Shariff for the Indian Ministry of Tourism (MOT) and Snow Leopard Trust,  via Wikimedia Commons.


As evident from the results, Ladakh is your best bet to see these phantoms of the mountains. Numerous tour operators in the union territory offer snow leopard watching and photography tours. In addition, if you are ready for more adventure and exploration, you can try visiting the other states where, although sighting snow leopards is a bigger challenge, there is a greater thrill as well when you get to see them after treks and trails through scenic and surreal Himalayan landscapes. 

Sunday, January 28, 2024

Where In India Are The Rhinos?

One-horned rhino in Kaziranga National Park, Assam.
One-horned rhino in Kaziranga National Park, Assam. Image credit: Anuwar ali hazarika via Wikimedia Commons.

The one-horned rhinoceros, a magnificent species, is also called the Indian rhinoceros, and rightly so, given that India houses more than 80% of the species' current population of 4014 as of 2022. Once distributed across a larger range from the Indian subcontinent to parts of China and numbering several thousand, today, the "Vulnerable" classified one-horned rhino suffers from a multitude of threats and has disappeared from large parts of its range. In India, too, the species was on the verge of vanishing before stringent actions were implemented to save it. A lot of praise goes to the Indian state of Assam, which houses nearly 85% of the country's rhino population of around 3,300. So, here are the places where you will find the most rhinos in India as per the State of Rhino Report 2022, released by the International Rhino Foundation.

Kaziranga National Park, Assam - 2,613 rhinos

Rhino in Kaziranga, Assam
Baby Rhino with mother in a marshland of Kaziranga National Park, Assam. Image credit: RAJEEV BASUMATARY via Wikimedia Commons

Assam's Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve, also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has performed exceptionally well in terms of one-horned rhino conservation. Poaching of these animals was rampant in this park until about a few years ago when stringent measures were taken to curb the issue. A special task force was created, and the rangers were allowed to shoot-at-sight orders to bring down poachers to save rhinos. The park now has 223 anti-poaching camps, with guards toiling hard to ensure the safety of the park's VIP rhinos! All that obviously worked well, with the park reporting zero rhino poaching in 2022. 

Jaldapara National Park, West Bengal - 287 rhinos

Jaldapara National Park rhino
An interesting interaction between a rhino and two Indian gaurs at Jaldapara National Park, West Bengal. Image credit: Darshana Darshu via Wikimedia Commons.

The Jaldapara National Park recently went viral on social media as a scared and disturbed female rhino with calves in the park toppled a safari gypsy filled with tourists. Rhino moms are extremely protective of their babies and will not tolerate any nonsense from anyone that even slightly threatens their precious babies.

The park, located in the northern part of the state of West Bengal, is home to the second-highest Indian rhino population, with 287 rhinos. Recently, the state government has devised several strategies, including the expansion of the grasslands to further secure the home of the rhinos in and around the park.

Orang National Park, Assam - 125 rhinos

A rhino in the grasslands of Orang National Park.
A rhino in the grasslands of Orang National Park. Image credit: Nejib Ahmed via Wikimedia Commons

Another national park in Assam, the Orang, on the northern banks of the mighty Brahmaputra River, is turning out to be a secure home for the state's rhinos. No wonder that it is often called the "Little Brahmaputra." As of 2022, the park has a rhino population of 125, which is 24 up from the last count taken in 2018. 

Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary, Assam - 107

A female rhino and calf at Pobitora
A female rhino and calf at Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary, Assam.

Next up is Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary, also from Assam, with 107 one-horned rhinos. The sanctuary is located in the suburbs of Assam's capital city, Guwahati, and is a haven for wildlife-loving residents of the city as well as numerous visitors. The 2022 number was five more than the 2018 count. The sanctuary is known to offer excellent rhino sightings to visitors and is a must-visit for those touring the state.

Gorumara National Park, West Bengal - 52

A rhino at Gorumara National Park, West Bengal.
A rhino at Gorumara National Park, West Bengal. Image credit: Dr. Satyabrata Ghosh via Wikimedia Commons.

Another protected area in northern West Bengal, the Gorumara National Park, provides a good habitat for the rhinos. Together, the Jaldapara and Gorumara host the entire population of rhinos in the state, but the state government now plans to introduce rhinos to two more protected areas, the Buxa Tiger Reserve and a small reserve in Cooch Behar.

Manas National Park, Assam - 40

A one-horned rhino at Manas National Park, Assam. Image credit: Gitartha.bordoloi via Wikimedia Commons

Another UNESCO World Heritage Site in Assam, the extremely beautiful Manas, is home to 40 rhinos as of 2022. The park's rhinos were all wiped out by 2005 due to intense poaching, but a successful reintroduction program leading to the translocation of rhinos to the park in several batches starting in 2006 helped have a stable rhino population in Manas again. 

Dudhwa National Park, Uttar Pradesh - 40

rhino in dudhwa, india
A reintroduced rhino in Dudhwa Tiger Reserve, India. Image credit: A. J. T. Johnsingh, WWF-India and NCF, via Wikimedia Commons.

A new state's entry on the list comes with Dudhwa National Park. The beautiful park, located along the India-Nepal border in Uttar Pradesh, had lost all its rhinos due to colonial-era hunting and then poaching until rhinos were reintroduced here from Assam in 1984. Initially, five rhinos were introduced, and the population has since grown gradually.

India's efforts in saving the rhinos deserve applause. Poaching has been largely curbed in the country's rhino habitats by the strict implementation of the law. However, given the high demand for rhino horns in the illegal market, authorities need to be on constant alert to protect the rhinos against this threat. Habitat loss, degradation, fragments, and human-rhino conflict cases are now the biggest threats to this endangered species in India, and a lot of effort is needed to protect the growing population of these massive, majestic beings in the country.