Bawangling Gibbon Nature Reserve

Bawangling Gibbon Nature Reserve

The reserve covers a total area of over 35,000 mu. Here, rolling mountains stretch as far as the eye can see, with peaks blanketed in lush greenery, vast expanses of forests, and ancient trees towering into the sky. The natural ecosystem remains intact, and the tropical biological resources are extremely rich. As you drive along the winding forest roads into the reserve, looking around, besides numerous valuable tree species, wild fruit trees that serve as the main food source for wildlife are found everywhere on the mountains—such as breadfruit, mountain pomegranate, mountain bamboo plum, black olive, fig, mountain olive, downy peony, and wild lychee. In this colorful wild fruit garden, several groups of protected black-crested gibbons make their home.

The black-crested gibbon, also known as the black ape or human bear, mainly lives in tropical primary forests and almost entirely in the trees. Gibbons have longer palms than soles and longer upper arms than lower limbs, with arms that can stretch to about 1.7 meters when extended. They move through the trees using both hands and feet, leaping and swinging from one tree to another as swiftly as on a swing. They live in family groups, typically consisting of one male, one female, and their offspring. They share strong bonds with one another. At dawn, they emerge to forage, taking turns calling out and responding to one another. When together, they often call, hug, and cling to each other. Each family has a fixed territory that it defends from intrusion by other groups, and will fiercely fight off outsiders. Their diet mainly consists of fruit. Juvenile gibbons live with their parents from ages one to six, and upon reaching maturity at seven or eight years old, they seek mates, reproduce, and form new groups. Female gibbons give birth to single offspring and reproduce very slowly.

In addition to gibbons, the Bawangling Gibbon Nature Reserve is also home to over 60 species of rare animals, including precious clouded leopards, black bears, sambar deer, pangolins, giant squirrels, palm civets, small Indian civets, masked palm civets, flying squirrels, crested argus pheasants, silver pheasants, woodpeckers, owls, eagles, and mountain partridges. It is an ideal destination for forest tourism and wildlife viewing.

Address:

Approximately 30 kilometers southwest of Yacheng Town, Baisha County, Hainan

Yacheng Town: Yacheng Town is the county seat, located in the central-eastern part of Baisha County. It serves as the political, economic, transportation, and cultural center of Baisha County. The town got its name during the Ming Dynasty due to the presence of a village called Yacheng. During the Chinese Civil War, the famous "Yacheng Meeting" was held here, exerting significant influence on the political situation. The new Yacheng Town was formed in September 2002 through the merger of the former Yacheng, Baisha, and Nancha towns. The town covers a total land area of 222.75 square kilometers, governs 3 neighborhood committees, 13 village committees, and 94 villager groups. It has a total population of over 30,000, including 20,388 rural residents. The town has... More detailed information about Yacheng Town++