Population Density and Habitat of Siamang and Agile Gibbon in Bala Forest, Southern Thailand

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Published: May 4, 2018

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Sutthirak Nongkaew
Hala-Bala Wildlife Research Station (Narathiwat Province), Department of National Parks, Thailand.
Sara Bumrungsri
Faculty of Science, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai Campus, Songkhla Province, Thailand.
Warren Y. Brockelman
Ecology Laboratory, BIOTEC, National Science and Technology Development Agency, Klong Luang, Pathum Thani, Thailand.
Tommaso Savini
School of Bioresearches & Technology, King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi, Bangkok, Thailand.
Anak Pattanavibool
Wildlife Conservation Society–Thailand Program, Bangkok, Thailand.
Siriporn Thong-Ari
Hala-Bala Wildlife Research Station (Narathiwat Province), Department of National Parks, Thailand.

Abstract

Siamang (Symphalangus syndactylus) and agile gibbon (Hylobates agilis) were censused and mapped in Bala Forest, part of the Hala-Bala Wildlife Sanctuary, Narathiwat Province, South Thailand. Nineteen groups of siamangs and 136 groups of agile gibbons were found in this 168- km2 area. This is the northernmost population of the siamang in Asia. Densities of siamangs were positively related to altitude, which reaches a maximum of 953 m in Bala Forest. In comparison with agile gibbons, siamangs occurred at higher altitude, lower-slope terrain, shorter distances from ridge-tops, and on more east-facing terrain. Both species occurred mostly in areas far from villages and the forest edge. Diminished submontane forest in Thailand, as well as competition with agile gibbons, may be limiting the distribution of siamang at the northern end of its range.

Article Details

Issue
Vol. 62 No. 2 (2018)
Section
Articles