What are gibbons?

Also called small apes, gibbons are primates that belong to the family Hylobatidae.  Compared with great apes (orangutans, gorillas, chimpanzees and bonobos), small apes are smaller in size and exhibit little or no sexual dimorphism. Although their small size makes them resemble monkeys superficially, they have the full suite of features that define apes, including adaptations of the shoulder and forelimbs for suspensory locomotion, and the absence of a tail.  Small apes tend to be socially monogamous, and do not make nests.  

Gibbons love socializing.  They live together with a family group, usually including a mated pair and sometimes up to 4 immature individuals (infants, juveniles, and subadults).  Gibbons produce a variety of vocalizations with different functions, including soft calls, that they use to communicate within their groups, as well as loud calls (songs) for communication with other groups.  Furthermore, they are strongly territorial.  To defend their home range, gibbons advertise their ownership of their territory by singing, usually in the form of duets. Gibbon songs can be heard from more than 1km away!

Figure 1: A lar gibbon (Hylobates lar) is exhibiting its ability to brachiate.

Figure 2: Agile gibbon (Hylobates agilis). © Julielangford (CC-BY-SA 3.0)

They need the forest......
Gibbons are exclusively arboreal, which mean they only live in the tree canopy.  They move very quickly and efficiently in the tree canopy by swinging from branch to branch, a mode of locomotion called “brachiation”.  Sometimes, they can brachiate as fast as 55 km/h!  They are definitely the fastest non-flying, tree-dwelling mammals! 

Figure 3: Gibbons need sufficient canopy cover for their locomotion.

......As much as the forest needs them!
Gibbons are primarily frugivorous, and are very important seed dispersers for many of their preferred fruit species.  They usually swallow the seeds whole when they ingest fruits and then travel some distance before they deposit the seeds in their faeces.  In a way, they are the farmers of the forest!
 

Figure 4: A lar gibbon (Hylobates lar) is feeding while daggling off a branch.

What happened to gibbons?

• Several gibbon species are threatened with imminent extinction. Gibbons include not only include the most endangered apes but also the most endangered primate species of the world, and all gibbons are Endangered or Critically Endangered. The main threats to gibbons are habitat loss and degradation, and hunting. 
• Preservation of the tropical forest is imperative to gibbon survival - if it disappears, so do the gibbons. In China, for instance, the gibbons have already lost 99% of their habitat. 
• The illegal pet trade is thriving across Southeast Asia. Young gibbons are popular pets, but in order to obtain a young animal, its mother is shot down from the tree tops. Often both mother and infant are killed in this process.
• Gibbons occur in several protected areas in Peninsular Malaysia, but often they are poorly managed and wildlife laws are not enforced effectively. Rural poverty and lack of awareness of the threats facing the gibbons and their forests are additional causes for inadequate gibbon protection. 

Figure 5: A juvenile lar gibbon (Hylobates lar), Logan, was rescued from illegal pet trade.

Figure 6: Forest loss in Peninsular Malaysia.  This map, however, does not distinguish between natural forest cover and plantations.

Why study gibbons?

• Despite the fact that all Malaysian gibbons are Endangered, no extensive studies on their distribution or abundance have been done since the 1980s, so knowledge about the current population size and distribution of gibbons are lacking.
• Understanding the gibbons is important because they are irreplaceable dispersers of canopy tree species, thus helping the forest to regenerate, especially after selective logging. 
• Understanding the impact of selective logging on agile gibbon densities will improve our ability to predict the effect of different forestry practices on endangered arboreal frugivores. 

What are the outcomes of this project?
The goal of this study is to contribute valuable data about agile gibbon abundance, density, distribution and responses to habitat disturbance to inform the development of effective conservation programs for gibbons and their habitats.  At the conclusion of the study, we will collaborate with Malaysian wildlife authorities to develop a feasible action plan for protecting viable populations of gibbons in both protected and unprotected forests.  Thus, more evidence is needed to support the idea of including forest reserve and other unprotected areas into the protection plan, before the continuous destruction and degradation of the habitat decimate the gibbons’ existence in Malaysia.  With sufficient data and action plan, some of the unprotected areas, Ulu Muda Forest Reserve for example, stands a chance to become a totally-protected state park.

This study will also be educating the general public to appreciate the significance of gibbons towards the forest and vice versa, and be compelled to protect nature and practice sustainability.  The project will also raise awareness with regard to the illegal pet trade, which gibbons regularly suffer.  This project will conduct workshops, outreaches, education programs in several places throughout the Peninsular Malaysia.


Where does your money go?
The donation collected will mainly be channeled to field trips.  The cost of the field trips comes from transportation, hiring field assistants (local forest guide), food and accommodation for research assistants, as well as purchase of research equipment and outdoor gears (i.e tents, GPS devices, compass, etc).

Figure 7: A group of researchers are observing gibbons in Merapoh, Pahang.

Figure 8: Associate Professor Thad Bartlett from UTSA Department of Anthropology, US, is training a master's student on the method of gibbon population survey.

Figure 9: A small research team collecting gibbon population data in Ulu Muda Forest Reserve, Kedah.

Figure 10: The gibbon population survey employs non-invasive method: the accoustics/vocal survey.  The researcher will station at designated listening posts in the forest and record the direction, estimated distance and time of the gibbon's call.

Figure 11: A research assistant with a strangling fig.  Strangling figs are very important food trees not only to gibbons, but also other animal species such as monkeys, squirrels, and birds. - photo courtesy of Laura Tammiste

Secondly, the donation will also be used for conducting education programs in schools, outreach activities as well as public talks.

Figure 12: Primate Edu Camp, organised in conjunction with Malaysia Primatological Society and University Sains Malaysia (USM).

In the coming years, Ungka is aiming to: 

• Complete the gibbon population survey throughout Peninsular Malaysia
• Work with the authorities to improve gibbon conservation
• Increasing involvement in the conservation of the gibbons habitat,
• Raise public awareness in regards to gibbon protection, especially the illegal wildlife trade
• Remaining a crucial platform for research

Thanks for your support! 

"To reconnect with nature is key if we want to save the planet." ― Jane Goodall