When walking through the Cardamom Rainforest Landscape, you’re sure to hear the melodious, bird-like duets of monogamous pairs of pileated gibbons [listen here]. These unmistakable calls are heartening for our rangers who patrol the forest daily protecting the largest global population of pileated gibbons (Hylobates pileatus) swinging through the treetops above them. However, poachers also use their unique calls to track these rare small apes.
In Cambodia, the illegal trade of gibbons is largely for the pet trade but the larger threat pileated gibbons are facing is forest loss. These Endangered apes spend 100% of their time in the rainforest canopy so they cannot survive if their home is cut down by loggers.
There is so much to love about gibbons – their mesmerizing calls, their captivating faces, and their incredible grace and agility as they swing through the trees. But, unfortunately, these icons of Southeast Asian forests are disappearing.
Today, October 24, 2019, is International Gibbon Day and a chance to raise awareness of these small apes before it is too late. We’re asking you to join us in protecting the largest global population of pileated gibbons by making a donation today.
