Song of the Gaoligong
Published with bioGraphic, January 2021
The Gaoligong Mountains’ forested ridges uncoil alongside the Angry River Valley, writhing, like the spines along a dragon’s back. Under the range’s canopy, giant tree rhododendrons stand alongside moss-covered Castanopsis fargesii and thick groves of wiry bamboo. The crack of a machete precedes each step we take and the morning dew sticks our clothes to our skin.
Suddenly, shrill calls burst from the canopy above, filling the foliage around us. Leaves rustle and tree branches sway. Cai Zhihong points upward. “We found them!” he says, flashing a toothy grin. “The gibbons are here!”
Cai Zhihong, a forest ranger and part of the Lisu ethnic minority indigenous to this region, spends nearly all his time in the reserve. He began working here almost 30 years ago, preventing poaching and helping scientists collect data on the Gaoligong’s gibbons for less than a dollar a day. His work has been instrumental. In 2017, Cai Zhihong’s observations and field work helped local scientists gather enough research to realize they had discovered a new species, Hoolock tianxing, the Skywalker hoolock gibbon.
Yes, named after Star Wars. Overnight, the Skywalker became one of China’s most endangered species, pushing conservation efforts in Cai Zhihong’s beloved Gaoligong to the forefront of public attention. But, scientists estimate that there are just 106 to 138 left in the country, living in three separate clusters from the Gaoligong to the Yunnan-Myanmar border. You can read more about their story here.
