GIBBONS

Two species of gibbon are endemic to the Annamites – the Endangered northern yellow-cheeked crested gibbon and the Critically Endangered southern white-cheeked gibbon. As arboreal species, both are threatened by habitat destruction and degradation, but the primary threat is hunting for meat and traditional medicine, and significantly also for the “pet” trade. Keeping gibbons is illegal in all countries where these species are found, and trading them internationally is strictly prohibited.

https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.23171 https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.23171

The largest known population of the northern yellow-cheeked gibbon is found in north-eastern Cambodia, mainly in Virachey National Park. Smaller populations are also found in central Viet Nam and in Xe Sap National Protected Area in Laos. A recent gibbon call survey in three protected areas in central Viet Nam found that although local extinctions of this gibbon have occurred, some sites were recolonized when given protection. The expansion of infrastructure and agriculture, habitat degradation and increased access for hunters has resulted in a decline in numbers across their range. This species was the most sought-after primate as a pet in communities surrounding the Veun Sai-Siem Pang National Park in Cambodia, with 44% of people surveyed saying they would keep one as a pet.

The southern white-cheeked gibbon is found only in Laos and Viet Nam, and only about 600 individuals are thought to occur in the wild. The largest populations are known from Hin Nam No National Park in Laos and the adjacent Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park of Viet Nam. Unlike in Laos, the forest habitat of this gibbon species in Viet Nam is heavily fragmented due to deforestation and agricultural expansion. Together with hunting, this is resulting in populations becoming small, isolated and potentially unviable in many locations. Hunting for traditional medicine, meat and the pet trade are major threats to this species in both countries. Hunting often occurs when people can access previously difficult to reach gibbon habitat through new roads and other infrastructure development.

Thinh Van Ngoc, Roos, C., Rawson, B.M., Nguyen, M.H., e.T120659170A120659179. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-2.RLTS.T120659170A120659179.en. Accessed 8 May 2023. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-2.RLTS.T39896A17968765.en. Accessed 8 May 2023.

Nguyen, M.H., Coudrat, C.N.Z., Roos, C., Rawson, B.M. and Duckworth, J.W. 2020. Nomascus siki. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: e.T39896A17968765.

“Gibbons are simply one of the most majestic animals one can be lucky enough to see in the wild,” said Ben Rawson of WWF-Asia Pacific. “Their acrobatic gait as they brachiate through the canopy is truly awe-inspiring, as are their loud vocalizations which can be heard by wildlife surveyors and hunters alike for several kilometres. As one of the most threatened primate families globally, and a close living relative of humans, the gibbons justly continue to be a very high conservation priority in Asia.”