Supporting
Sanctuaries
Improving the well-being of small apes & preventing species extinction.
Why do some gibbons need rehabilitation?
Sadly, gibbons face serious threats to their survival because people take them from the jungle and exploit them for human entertainment.
Gibbons suffer terribly, both mentally and physically, when they are confined in unsafe conditions - held as household pets or restrained in tourist attractions and markets, where people pay money to have a photo taken with them and cuddle them.
![Chu [1545].JPG](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/96c9ae_3cdf05ddfbca4a56ba14f26144863f73~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_490,h_369,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/96c9ae_3cdf05ddfbca4a56ba14f26144863f73~mv2.jpg)
Rescuing gibbons from these situations and helping them return to a normal life is vitally important to saving gibbons from extinction.
Rehabilitation and translocation programs are increasingly becoming an important component of gibbon conservation plans, and, when done right, they can play a significant role in helping to increase gibbon populations in the wild.
It's a tough job,
but someone's got to do it.
And we support them!
![Bawk & infant [1512].JPG](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/96c9ae_c5092db8a91b409db2f3cc7c7e2dac49~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_490,h_369,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/96c9ae_c5092db8a91b409db2f3cc7c7e2dac49~mv2.jpg)
In Thailand, we study naturally wild, free-ranging gibbons at UNESCO World Heritage Site: Khao Yai National Park, where the protected forests are frequently monitored by park rangers.
But most gibbons don't have this level of protection.
Across south east Asia, there are more than 600 gibbons recovering from the traumas of pet trade and wildlife trafficking living in just a few sanctuaries and rescue centres, where dedicated staff work round the clock to help rescue and care for gibbons suffering from harrowing experiences.
Not every gibbon can recover from the trauma they experience at the hands of humans and be returned to the wild.
Some must remain in the protected care of trained gibbon caretakers for the remainder of their life (wild gibbons can live to be more than 40 years old).
Others, thankfully, can recover through successful gibbon-specific rehabilitation programs and be returned to the wild in dedicated protected zones.
We partner with established gibbon rehabilitation facilities to support their excellent work caring for gibbons.
By helping rehabilitation facilities rescue gibbons from unsafe and unhealthy captive situations, care for their health and well-being, and when possible, return them to the jungle to live happy, healthy normal lives, we help conserve and protect gibbons today and for the future.