The sanctuary has 105 hoolock gibbons in 26 families, 162

capped langur in 14 troops, 233 stump-tailed macaque in two troops, 75 pig-tailed macaque in four troops, 46 Assamese macaque in a single troop and 174 rhesus macaque in four troops. Census of the extremely elusive and nocturnal slow loris was not possible, but forest officials and NGOs put it at 25 conservatively. The sanctuary was once contiguous with the forests of Nagaland, but extensive logging and establishment of tea gardens around it has completely fragmented and isolated this patch of forests. "Fuel, wood collection in the sanctuary has been an irritant and there have also been instances of charcoal making," Chetry said. Flow of pesticide-laced water from the tea estates could further create long-term damage to the flora and fauna, he said. Added to the situation is the lack of basic information and poor conservation awareness about the species among the people and even frontline staff of the forest department. Keeping this in view, the Gibbon Conservation Centre along with Aaranyak, a biodiversity organisation, and the forest department have in recent times organised a series of training programmes for foresters. The training usually covers a wide range of related topics including primates conservation in Northeast India with special reference to the hoolock gibbon. It also covers gibbon census, gibbon data collection, gibbon habitat characteristic and restoration, population and habitat monitoring and gibbon rescue and rehabilitation among others.