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In addition to seeing our gibbons in the Tropics Trail, you
can frequently hear them! Gibbons are very territorial and each
morning advertise ownership of their territory with an elaborate
vocal ensemble. The duet is also believed to strengthen the
bond between the male and female. Our gibbons usually ssing
a couple of times each day; the best time to catch their performance
is shortly after the zoo opens at 9 a.m. If you are anywhere
in the building at the time you can't miss it.
 Our
gibbons also
entertain zoo visitors with their acrobatic displays and clowning
around. They can often be seen wrestling or playing chase. To
keep the gibbons stimulated by their environment, keepers offer
a variety of things for enrichment. One day it might be a couple
of banana leaves and the next day it might be fruit popsicles
or even a pile of snow. The gibbons especially like receiving
special food items like figs, raisins and strawberries. When
the gibbons retire to their holding area at night for dinner,
they sometimes find that the keeper has put some of their favorite
treats, like raisins or grapes, inside of novel containers.
This forces the gibbons to use their heads to figure out how
to get them out. We haven't stumped them yet!
The gibbons at the Zoo are certainly entertaining but they also
are ambassadors for their species. All species of gibbon are
listed as endangered by the US Fish and Wildlife Service and
the IUCN Redlist. The major threats to gibbon populations in
the wild are habitat loss and poaching. Despite regulations
against it, gibbons are poached for meat and for body parts
used in Traditional East Asian Medicines. Young gibbons are
also captured illegally for the pet trade.
Melanie Sorensen, a Naturalist in the zoo's Education Department,
traveled to Thailand in September of 2001. Her travels included
a visit to Phuket on the southern tip of Thailand, where she took
a rainforest hike in the Khao Phra Taew National Park to visit
a Gibbon Rehabilitation Center. Speaking of her experience Melanie
said:
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"I have always enjoyed observing
the Minnesota Zoo's White-cheeked gibbons, so I thought
this would be a perfect opportunity to see what Thailand
was doing to preserve these fascinating species. I arrived
at the park, the parking lot was empty but the forest was
full of sounds of birds, gibbons and rushing water. I hiked
up to the waterfall and heard the familiar morning territorial
calls of the gibbons-just like the calls that I hear many
mornings on my walk into work…
While at the park I met with a volunteer
from England who told me all about the Gibbon Rehabilitation
Project which is a research division of the Wild Animal
Rescue Foundation of Thailand (WAR). The Project takes these
captured gibbons for rehabilitation with the hopes of releasing
them back into the wild… My trip ended in Phuket with
me feeling a lot better about the conservation of the gibbons.
It made me feel good that the Thai people were doing what
they could to save them, while half way across the world
the Minnesota Zoo was doing their part to save this wonderful
species but the story does not end there!
During my last few days in Thailand
I decided to visit a famous floating market just outside
of Bangkok. When I got to the floating market I hired a
boat taxi to paddle me through the canal to see all the
colorful Thai products for sale. My heart sunk as the paddler
pushed through the canal to a man sitting along the water
holding an obviously drugged gibbon. I told my boat driver
to pass by because I did not want to give the satisfaction
of showing interest to the owner of this poor animal. On
the return trip we passed the same man, who was yelling
out a dollar amount to hold the gibbon. I saw an English-speaking
woman who was interested (pictured right), so I pulled my
boat over and told her all I had learned at the rehabilitation
center. She understood and did not give the man money to
hold the gibbon.
When I got back to Bangkok I phoned
the Gibbon Rehabilitation Project and let them know of this
gibbon I observed at the floating market. I followed up
when I arrived back in the United States and was pleased
to hear that they had rescued the gibbon and that she was
currently in quarantine. I was happy to affect the life
of one wild gibbon, and know that she has a chance for a
life back in the wild. If you would like to adopt a gibbon
or learn more about this project please check out their
web site at www.warthai.org/index.htm"
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Melanie's experience in Thailand shows how just one person can
make a difference in conservation. Her actions that day affected
the life of one gibbon and sharing her story can affect the lives
of many more. By arming ourselves with knowledge we can each make
a difference in conservation. That learning can begin with a visit
to the Zoo!
In-depth White-cheeked gibbon information
(size, range in the wild, etc.)
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