Happy International Gibbon Day

Join us today on International Gibbon Day to celebrate this incredible lesser ape and the true acrobats of the jungle with our Wildlife Rescue team in Thailand!

Many people mistake gibbons for monkeys as they are small, but they are actually part of the ape family and are classified as lesser apes. The larger great apes are bonobos, chimpanzees, gorillas, humans, and orangutans. 

Sadly, there are countless gibbons in Thailand living in shocking conditions, being left homeless due to habitat loss, being poached for traditional medicine and, heart-breakingly, many baby gibbons are captured for both the pet and tourism photo prop trade. 

At our Wildlife Rescue centre in Thailand the staff and volunteers take care of 78 rescued endangered gibbons of six different species. They help them to recover from their trauma after being callously robbed of their freedom and exploited, often for many, many years. The goal of the centre is to give rescued wildlife like gibbons the chance to live the most natural life possible whilst living in their rescue centre if they are not able to be released back into the wild. 

Their enclosures allow them to be as close to nature and their wild home as possible, so they can swing through the trees and show off their acrobatic skills! 

How can you help gibbons? 

Don't take photos with gibbons. Don't like photos or videos with gibbons interacting with people. Don't visit attractions where gibbons are kept in unnatural conditions. 

It would be amazing if you would like to travel to Thailand to join our Wildlife Rescue volunteer team and help these incredible apes. You can find out how you can get involved here: https://www.podvolunteer.org/projects/wildlife-rescue-thailand