IFAW Assists in Indonesian Gibbon Rehabilitiation

After successfully relocating three Bornean gibbons last year, the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) partnered again with International Animal Rescue (IAR) and Kalaweit Foundation to move 5 Sumatran Agile gibbons and 8 siamangs from Cikananga Animal Rescue Centre (PPSC) to Marak island off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia.

This group of gibbons and siamangs were confiscated from illegal pet trade by the Indonesian Forestry Department . The animals were successfully relocated to their native home range in Sumatra and will undergo rehabilitation before their return to the wild.

Gibbons are small agile apes that live in subtropical rainforests in Southeast, South and East Asia. While the illegal pet trade takes a heavy toll on wild populations, the principal threat to gibbons is loss of habitat. Known for their long hands and fingers and ability to swing from tree to tree, gibbons suffer from the consequences of deforestation as palm oil production is leading to clearing of natural forests and consequently reducing their prime habitat.

This group of 13 rescued Sumatran agile gibbons and siamangs will now join more than 100 other rescued gibbons in Kalaweit Foundation’s 1000-hectare rehabilitation island.  -- Michael Booth