Deep in the forest near Kohora, in the Golaghat district of Assam state, a tiny Western Hoolock Gibbon was found refusing to leave its mother. The adult female died from an electric shock. The infant, only three or four weeks old, survived but lost the most essential thing for a young creature—its mother.
On April 11, 2026, forestry staff rescued the orphan and brought it to the Centre for Wildlife Rescue and Conservation (CWRC). This center is jointly managed by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) near Kaziranga National Park. Veterinarians admitted it to the neonatal intensive care unit, where treatment began using specialized milk, round-the-clock monitoring, and constant care.
The Western Hoolock Gibbon is the only monkey species in India, making every rescue particularly significant. Initially, the infant was too small to survive on its own. Veterinarians closely monitored its health, while caregivers tried to recreate the comfort and security it received from its mother.
Within a month, encouraging signs appeared: the infant gained about 160 grams, reaching a weight of 670 grams. More importantly, it began to behave like a young gibbon—exploring branches, attempting short climbs, and instinctively reaching upwards. Its diet also expanded: in addition to milk, it started eating figs, bamboo shoots, and Bauhinia leaves, which it would eat in the wild.
Since young gibbons are highly social animals, caregivers provided a soft toy in the form of a monkey to provide comfort. Today, it sleeps hugging this toy and often carries it in its enclosure. However, the rehabilitation process for the orphaned gibbon is long and may take months or even years. In addition to gaining strength, it needs to learn to balance, move through the canopy, find food, and develop natural skills for survival in the wild. Human interaction is minimized to prevent dependency on humans. The ultimate goal is to prepare it for a safe return to the forest.
The Western Hoolock Gibbon holds a unique place in Indian fauna. It is the only monkey species in the country that spends almost its entire life in the forest canopy. Gibbons use a movement called brachiation, easily leaping from branch to branch thanks to their long arms, rarely descending to the ground. However, this dependence on the connected canopy makes them extremely vulnerable.
In some parts of northeastern India, forest fragmentation and the expansion of energy infrastructure make movement increasingly dangerous. When canopies are disrupted, gibbons are forced to cross roads, settlements, or power lines, exposing themselves to the risk of electric shock and other human-induced threats. Although the species enjoys the highest level of protection under the Indian Wildlife Protection Act of 1972, conservationists estimate that fewer than 5000 Western Hoolock Gibbons remain in the country. For a species with such a small population, the loss of even one adult individual can have long-term consequences, so saving one orphan also means protecting the future of the species.
The rescue of the gibbon infant reflects the conservation approach promoted by Sonali Ghosh, an employee of the Indian Forest Service, over more than 25 years. For Ghosh, conservation is not just about saving injured animals; it begins with protecting the forests, wetlands, and connected landscapes that allow wildlife to thrive. Throughout her career, she worked in some of India's most critical protected areas, convinced that the most effective conservation efforts create ecosystems where animals do not need rescuing at all.
This principle defined her tenure as the first female director of Kaziranga National Park. Her approach recognizes that no species exists in isolation. Connected forest canopies allow hoolock gibbons to move safely through the treetops, and healthy wetlands support birds and countless other forms of wildlife. In 2025, this landscape-oriented approach earned Ghosh the prestigious WCPA-Kenton Miller Award, making her the first Indian woman to receive a global award for outstanding achievements in protected area management. This award recognized not only decades of service but also a vision of conservation based on the understanding that every saved animal is part of a much larger ecosystem.
Today, the world of the little gibbon remains limited. It spends its days feeding, climbing, resting, and slowly gaining strength under expert observation. Its story has drawn attention to a little-known species that many Indians have never seen. Since fewer than 5000 Western Hoolock Gibbons remain in the country, every successful rescue offers hope—not only for one orphan but for the future of India's only monkey species.
Birdwatchers are flocking to the Dongzhai National Nature Reserve in search of rare bird species. Guo Guansen, who spent the first half of his life as a forester in this reserve, located in Luoshan County, Xinyang, Henan Province in Central China, became an ornithology guide after retiring.
In its early years, the Dabie Mountains, where the reserve is situated, suffered from poor soil conditions and frequent crop failures. Local residents depended on the mountains for income by collecting firewood for cooking. Some residents secretly set up nets and traps for birds, hunted wild animals, and cut down trees for extra income.
The Dongzhai National Nature Reserve was officially established in 2001. A policy of closure and forest restoration was implemented, which completely banned uncontrolled firewood collection and illegal hunting. Guo recalls that the residents initially found it difficult to accept these changes.
To address residents' concerns, the local government provided ecological compensation, helped communities develop forest-oriented industries supporting conservation efforts, and encouraged resident participation in protection efforts. Furthermore, training and job-seeking assistance outside the mountainous areas were offered.
After decades of forest protection, dramatic changes have occurred. New bird species are discovered in the reserve every year. Today, 356 bird species are registered in the reserve, including 74 species under strict state protection.
In 2006, the Dongzhai National Nature Reserve was approved as the first site in China for the reintroduction and release into the wild of the crested ibis—an endangered species previously thought to be extinct. The wild population has grown from the initial 17 released individuals to over 700 and spread across 11 counties and districts in Henan and Hubei provinces.
The crested ibis, a rare and endangered bird known as the 'eastern pearl' and a species under the first level of state protection in China, is found in the Dongzhai National Nature Reserve, located in Luoshan County, Xinyang, Henan Province in Central China.
As the bird population increased, ornithology enthusiasts began to converge on Dongzhai, creating a unique birdwatching economy. Guo was one of the first professional guides in this field. Today, photography enthusiasts and researchers from all over the country regularly visit the mountains. Visitors often stay for a week, spending an average of over 1000 yuan (about $147) per person, allowing local residents to benefit from the ecological economy.
Thanks to Guo's efforts, residents of Lingshan town in the county jointly built 16 birdwatching spots, each capable of accommodating hundreds of photo enthusiasts daily. Birdwatching tourism is thriving around Dongzhai. The reserve has trained a professional team of over 30 bird guides, created 69 viewing and photography sites, and built 66 accommodation and dining facilities.
Currently, the reserve receives over 30,000 bird-interested visitors annually, including more than 10,000 dedicated ornithologists. The birdwatching economy generates over 50 million yuan in annual economic value, provides jobs for over 2,000 people, and increases workers' annual income by an average of over 20,000 yuan.
The growth of the birdwatching economy in Dongzhai reflects Henan's achievements in environmental conservation. To date, Henan has registered 502 species of wild birds, accounting for one-third of all bird species in China.
While many companies in India are creating new electric vehicles, they are competing for the same audience—affluent buyers willing to purchase a brand new electric scooter. Ashish Dokania decided to bypass this competitive struggle.
He noted that there are already between 250 and 300 million two-wheelers running on gasoline on Indian roads. These scooters function normally, and their owners do not plan to replace them. However, each one represents an air-polluting and fuel-consuming problem that no new EV showroom can solve.
Therefore, Dokania founded Green Tiger Mobility to modernize existing vehicles.
Dokania's background is not typical of an automotive company founder. He spent years in banking and infrastructure financing, notably leading the solar division of Shapoorji Pallonji and founding a specialized network company in the UK, Transtel Utilities. Among balance sheets and power grids, he stumbled upon an idea that most engineers overlooked: perhaps the fastest path to a cleaner India is not in building new machines, but in saving old ones.
Green Tiger Mobility Private Limited was officially registered on October 27, 2020, with Dokania and his wife, Swati Keshan Dokania, serving as founders. The company's headquarters are located in Bangalore. Their initial message was extremely simple and counterintuitive: bring your gasoline scooter, and we will convert it into an electric vehicle.
When a scooter is delivered to the Green Tiger retrofit center in Bommanahalli, it undergoes diagnostics across 130 parameters, after which the team selects one of three conversion options. The first option is a bimodal hybrid, allowing the driver to switch between gasoline and electric modes with the press of a button, thereby eliminating range anxiety that deters many Indians from EVs. The second option is a full electric conversion, powered by a battery that can be charged at home via a standard 5-amp socket. The third option is designed for couriers covering 100–150 km daily and includes a swappable battery system developed jointly with Indofast Energy—a joint venture of Indian Oil and Sun Mobility, and Battery Smart—ensuring that a discharged battery is always available for quick replacement.
Since necessary components were unavailable in India, Green Tiger developed its own battery management systems, vehicle control units, and telematics equipment from scratch. This intellectual property is now used by approximately 10 other EV manufacturers. According to the company, the retrofitted vehicles have collectively covered over 150,000 kilometers on Indian roads, a real measure of durability that many early-stage startups fail to achieve.
The reliability of Green Tiger goes far beyond a good presentation. The company holds six approved patents covering its retrofit technology and power electronics, and its solution has received approval from ARAI—the same regulatory body that certifies vehicles for Indian OEMs. In 2022, the company received the FICCI 'Most Promising Innovation' award, went through incubation at NSRCEL, the startup hub of IIM Bangalore, and its founder was included in the EMobilityPlus Top 100 list in electric mobility.
Regarding funding, Green Tiger has raised approximately $1.95 million in equity over five rounds, and government grants increased the total amount to about 210 million rupees. The initial round of angel and foreign investment in January 2022 amounted to 50 million rupees for technology development and permit acquisition. A subsequent round of 110 million rupees was conducted in 2023, in which Bajaj Motors, along with Faad Capital and Indus Capital, invested. The connection with Bajaj Motors is not limited to being on the shareholder list; Vikas Bajaj holds a seat on the Green Tiger board of directors as a nominee, indicating deeper involvement.
Since commencing full-scale operations in August 2024, the company has completed about 600 retrofits, employs a staff of 20–24 people, and reported revenue of 46 million rupees for the fiscal year 25, according to the company. Recognition reached the highest level: at the Bharat Mobility Expo in 2024, Prime Minister Narendra Modi specifically stopped at the Green Tiger booth to learn about the i-Hybrid retrofit technology.
India does not lack EV startups chasing the future. The problem lies in the absence of people addressing the past: hundreds of millions of two-wheelers that have already been purchased and sit in parking lots across the country. Dokania did not try to surpass this reality with innovation. He created a sustainable, patent-protected business, backed by regulatory approval and the support of the Bajaj Motors board, around an obvious yet overlooked thing that everyone else ignored.
