Guwahati: For decades, the railway tracks passing through Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary (HGS) in Jorhat district of Assam did more than just carry trains. It bisected the forest canopy, turning tree-lined highways into dead ends and dividing families of India’s only ape species, the western hoolock gibbon, inside their only home in the country.Hoolock gibbons live almost entirely above ground, moving through the upper canopy with brachiation – swinging by their arms in long, fluid arcs. Where the trees stop, their world stops. The railway corridor created a gap that they could not safely cross, leaving groups on either side isolated and a small section of families trapped away from the larger population.But the story changed on Friday when a male gibbon was recorded crossing newly installed canopy bridges with safety nets on the railway line, bringing a ray of hope not only to the apes but also to many other canopy-dwelling animals.The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) said, “This is the first confirmed use of a gibbon in the sanctuary – and the first documented use of a canopy bridge structure on a railway line anywhere in the world!”WII said that while this is a moment of pride for all stakeholders and a ray of hope to reduce the impact of linear infrastructure on India’s only ape species, careful infrastructure planning, eco-conscious settings and creating repurposed corridors to connect disparate populations is especially important for the long-term survival of threatened species like arboretums and gibbons.The bridges were designed and deployed during February–March 2025 on the single-track Lumding-Dibrugarh railway line, which has been passing through Hollongapar since 1887. In a technical report released in May 2023, WII said that the approximately 1.65 route-km ​​long broad-gauge, electrified single track divided the sanctuary into two unequal parts.Listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, the Western Hoolock Gibbon faces constant threats – shrinking forests, tea cultivation, human encroachment and illegal trade.The report said, “Over time, the sanctuary has become a ‘forest island’, disconnected from the surrounding forest areas. Since gibbons are exclusively arboreal animals living in the upper canopy of the forest, they are particularly sensitive to canopy gaps. Thus, the gibbon families on both sides of the railway track have effectively become isolated from each other, compromising their population genetic variability and their already intact population in the HGS. “The threatened existence has become more threatened.”The sanctuary is spread over an area of ​​20.98 km², consisting of tropical semi-evergreen type forests and is home to about 125 gibbons. Hoolock gibbons are primarily monogamous and live in small family groups of six closely related individuals.WII has highlighted how fragmented the gibbon population in the Hollongapar Sanctuary has become. About 26 family groups live within the sanctuary, but the railway line passing through it has divided the habitat into two unequal compartments. On the one hand, in very small, only four to five gibbon families remain. With no adequate canopy connectivity across the tracks, these families have been effectively isolated from the larger population on the other side for decades.The sanctuary also harbors wild mammals like the Bengal slow loris, the only nocturnal animal found in the northeast, stump-tailed macaques, northern pig-tailed macaques, eastern Assamese macaques, rhesus macaques and capped langurs, Malayan giant squirrels and parti-coloured flying squirrels, which depend on the dense canopy.Efforts to bridge the canopy gap had been made earlier also. In 2015, the railways built an artificial canopy bridge made of iron at a location across the railway track, but the structure was used by arboreal mammals, including gibbons, because many of its design aspects were not compatible with the gibbons’ specialized form of movement in the canopy, known as brachiation or swinging by the arms or forelimbs.Earlier in 2006, a natural canopy bridge was developed through long-term plantation activities on both sides of the railway track through the joint efforts of Aaranyak (a Guwahati-based conservation NGO) and the state forest department. WII reported that this natural canopy bridge was established and used only by gibbons until 2019, but this natural connectivity did not survive as the railway regularly cuts trees and branches as part of track maintenance activities.Union Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav lauded the effort, calling it “technology-based conservation” and proof that “even small-scale science-based efforts can help greatly in biodiversity conservation.”“A happy moment from Holongapar. A year after installing the arboreal canopy bridge, the Hoolock gibbon is now using it to cross the railway track safely,” Assam CM Himnata Biswa Sarma said in a post on Instagram.

Meningitis outbreak sparks panic at three schools in Berkshire

There have been reports that two Berkshire schools have been linked to a meningitis outbreak which led to the death of a student at Henley College. The UK Health Protection Agency revealed that the students being treated were attending Reading Blue Coat School and Highdown Secondary School and Sixth Form Centre.The development comes as health authorities, schools and health experts responded to the meningitis outbreak and confirmed death of a Henley College student, The Guardian reports.On Thursday, the UK Health Protection Agency confirmed the news that a student at Henley College had died from the disease. It is important to note that the Berkshire strain is different from the meningitis B strain that caused the recent meningitis outbreak in Kent.Dr. Rachel Merkley addressed the growing concern among parents, students and staff. He said: “We understand that many people will be affected by this tragic news and we would like to offer our condolences to this student’s friends and family.“Students and staff will naturally be concerned about the possibility of further cases; however, meningococcal meningitis requires very close contact to spread, and large outbreaks, as we recently saw in Kent, are thankfully rare.“We are working closely with partners and have provided public health advice and precautionary antibiotic treatment to close contacts of cases. Meningococcal disease does not spread easily, and the risk to the wider public remains low.”Officials said the disease spreads through close and sustained contact. Every year in England, about 300 to 400 patients are found suffering from this disease. The most vulnerable groups are infants, teenagers, young adults and young children. Symptoms usually include fever, headache, nausea, drowsiness, chills, shortness of breath, and cold hands and feet.An outbreak of meningitis occurred in Kent in March, causing two deaths and sending more than a dozen patients to hospitals. In light of this, public health officials took swift action to address the spread of the disease in Berkshire.Henley College released a statement following the student’s death. College representatives said: “Our thoughts and sincere condolences go out to the student’s family and friends at this extremely difficult time. We are supporting those affected in our college community and following the advice and guidance provided by the UK Health Protection Agency. The statement said: “Out of respect for the family, we will not be providing further details at this time.“According to Professor Andrew Preston of the University of Bath, this epidemic was typically characterized by young adults and college students. “Like the Kent outbreak, this latest outbreak has again emerged in the college-age group,” he said.“All current cases appear to be contained in a well-defined social contact group, which enables rapid contact tracing and administration of antibiotics and vaccination if necessary precautions are taken.“At the moment, there is no sign of transmission into the wider community, although, obviously, this will have caused widespread concern in the area.”MenB vaccine was added to the routine vaccination schedule for children by the National Health Service in 2015. Health officials have urged parents to remain alert for any symptoms developing in their children and cooperate with the authorities in taking all necessary precautions.

Polish member of the European Parliament Dominik Tarzynski has threatened legal action against British Prime Minister Keir Starmer after the British leader accused organizers of the controversial London rally of promoting “hate and division”.The controversy began ahead of the “Unite the Kingdom” march in London, an event associated with anti-immigration activist Tommy Robinson and expected to focus on issues of immigration and policing.In a video message posted on Twitter, Starmer defended the peaceful protests but sharply criticized those behind the demonstrations.“Yesterday’s march in London is a stark reminder of who we are up against in the fight for our values,” Starmer said.“Organizers, including convicted thugs and racists, are spreading hatred and division. Quite frankly.”He said his government would continue to take action against individuals accused of promoting extremism and violence.“We will ban people coming to Britain who want to instigate this, as we have already done,” Starmer said.Tarczynski, a member of Poland’s right-wing Law and Justice party, responded to Starmer’s post following reports that his UK electronic travel authorization had been canceled ahead of the rally.Tarczynski wrote, “I am a democratically elected member of the European Parliament. I represent the European Union.”“You will have to pay the price for calling me a hate agitator.”The Polish politician also claimed that he would personally take legal action against Starmer after the next UK election.He wrote, “I will wait patiently until the British throw you on the ash heap of history. Then I will come to court to defend my honor and the honor of my voters.”The exchange came as British authorities moved to block several foreign right-wing figures from entering the country ahead of the demonstration.Starmer argued that Britain remains “a country built on decency, fairness and respect” and insisted that the majority of people in Britain rejected divisive politics.