The morning chorus of our two gibbons, Robyn and Vilson, is an iconic feature at the Zoo, and it will now be a cheer for the efforts we are making to save their species in the wild.
At the Zoo, we’re helping to save critically endangered White-Cheeked Gibbons in the wild by taking an essential role in a new partnership with the Fauna and Flora International Vietnam Programme. The project will focus on reducing hunting by working with the government, park rangers, and the local community to help enforce protection of the forest.
The new venture is a targeted project to improve conservation of White Cheeked Gibbons through improved protection of key areas in Pu Mat National Park. With about 455 individual animals, this area is home to the only known viable population of these Gibbons left in the world!
By collaborating with Perth Zoo and Taronga Zoo as the main funding group for this project, our collective efforts will make a difference for the animals and the community surrounding Pu Mat National Park. The area is a hotspot of biodiversity, so protecting the park will save not only Gibbons, but also other endangered animals like Indochinese Tigers and Indian Elephants.
A new smart patrol system has been established called SMART and it was developed by the conservation community to provide advanced analysis and reporting of patrol data. It also provides intelligence to better plan enforcement activities to protect wild animals.
Engaging local communities living in the ‘buffer zone’ of the protected area will also help with forest protection and create job opportunities in key villages, which will be supported through environmental education.
We’ve committed to a long-term investment to make sure that the numbers of wild Northern White-Cheeked Gibbons can increase and be brought back from brink of extinction so that the Gibbons’ song can be heard in the wild for generations to come.
Did you know?
The number of White-Cheeked Gibbons in the wild has reduced more than 80% over the last 45 years, primarily due to hunting and habitat loss.
White-Cheeked Gibbons are practically extinct in China, while populations in Vietnam and Lao PDR are severely depleted. Without effective conservation efforts, it is likely that most Vietnamese populations will be lost in the near future.
