But our gibbon family do SO much more than swing and sing!
They’re also important ambassador animals who help raise awareness for their wild cousins.
Northern White-cheeked Gibbons are one of the rarest apes in the world, with less than 2000 individuals left in the wild.
That’s why we work closely with other good zoos and wildlife parks to breed and care for these small apes, ensuring they’re around for generations to come!
We coordinate the pairing and breeding of the 18 Northern White-cheeked Gibbons and nine Javan Gibbons that live in the Australasian region, and the 96 Javan Gibbons in the international program!
In the past 30 years, eight Northern White-cheeked Gibbons and nine Javan Gibbons have been born right here at Perth Zoo, continuing the next generation of this beautiful species.
But that’s not all…
Beyond our gates, we support our international conservation partner Fauna & Flora to defend wild Northern White-Cheeked Gibbons from poaching and the illegal wildlife trade in Pu Mat National Park, Vietnam.
In the last year alone, Fauna & Flora:
- Ran more than 845 patrols, removing 268 snares
- Employed 13 community conservationists to conduct patrols and collect data to better understand wild gibbons and the threats they are facing
- Ran a successful campaign targeting people that hunt and trap wildlife, and those buying and selling wildlife products.
This work makes a huge difference to White-cheeked Gibbons in Pu Mat National Park, and by protecting this precious forest habitat it also saves many less visible creatures that live there!
It's important to celebrate this amazing achievement, but there's more work to be done. We want to make sure we never see a world without White-cheeked and Javan Gibbons in it!
Want to help?
Your support means we can continue our vital conservation work protecting gibbons, orangutans, lemurs, and more precious primates around the world!
Donate to Perth Zoo