New Wild Born from Payu Group

20th December 2009 Today while on a routine trip to feed the released gibbon group in the forest, our staff encountered Payu group and were pleased and surprised to discover Dao had just given birth. We had suspected that she was pregnant but were unable to accurately predict the expected birth date.

The new baby looks healthy and will be the 5th to be born in the wild. We are all celebrating this early Christmas Present.

Early Christmas present for Jita Family

After many months of anticipation and hard work, GRP staff and volunteers were excited to release another gibbon family on the 10th of December. This family, consisting of Tony, Jita, and baby Claire, already seem to be at home foraging and swinging in the rainforest, and while we will continue to supply food and observe them, we think they will adapt well to life back in the wild.
This family has been living in the training cage in the forest since June while we have been working on preparations for the release.  The new territory needed to be surveyed and staff and volunteers also worked on cutting trails to enable us to observe and follow the released gibbons. On the 26th and 27th of November we camped in the forest and spent two days building the acclimatization cage. This is the temporary cage where the gibbons stay for around 10 days prior to their release. It is designed with a pulley system in the trees and can be raised up into the canopy so the gibbons can get a little more used to their new home.
On the 29th of November a group of staff and volunteers helped to carry the gibbons through the forest from the training cage to the acclimatization cage.  This went smoothly and the family seemed to settle in together. For the next ten days someone would need to hike up to the cage to feed the gibbons and keep an eye on their behavior and also needed to cut the final 1600m of trail.
Finally the big day we had been anticipating arrived, and a group of staff, volunteers and visitors set off for the release. When we opened the door of the cage the gibbons hardly hesitated before confidently heading out into the trees to explore.  Even baby Claire has been seen venturing away from her mother to swing and play. We think their behavior is a good sign and will continue to monitor them and hope the release will be successful.

Released Day 10 December 2009

Volunteers needed!

 If you are interested in joining and participating in such a special opportunity, then you are most welcome. .

PLEASE DO NOT HAVE YOUR PHOTOGRAPH TAKEN WITH GIBBONS!

There are numerous gibbons being used as tourist attractions on Phuket. By paying to have your photo taken with a gibbon you are helping these people to reduce the numbers of wild gibbons and cause suffering to this beautiful animal.Gibbons ensure the health and vitality of the rainforests in which they live. Therefore, their survival must be ensured far into the future. Gibbons are threatened by loss of habitat, but also increasingly, by hunting and the illegal pet market. Remember, each cute baby gibbon you see at a market or beach had its mother shot dead by poachers. This loss destroys the family group forever.

This is where you can help. Don’t have your photograph taken with a gibbon or use the bars they are kept in and don’t buy baby gibbons anywhere. Report any poaching activity seen or heard to the National Park Headquarters or the Natural Resources and Environment Crime Division (forest@royalthaipolice.go.th). You can report it directly to DNP through their website http://www.dnp.go.th/complain/index.asp If we work together we can try and stop this trade.

Beware they BITE!!

When gibbons reach sexual maturity at six or seven years old, they develop large canines and become aggressive. At this stage they may be dumped or killed. Some owners will give the gibbons to organisations like us or to The National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department when they reach sexual maturity. They will then acquire a new baby gibbon which will be easier to handle and more attractive to tourists. If they do decide to keep the gibbons, they may file down or remove their canines and then place the gibbon in a tiny cage or chain it up.

Message from our HEARTS

We are fighting the sorrow and the obstacles,
We try to make our dream come true everyday,
With our strength and energy, our hopes and our dreams we wish to hear the gibbon’s song again
We are trying to release gibbons back to their natural habitat,
We hope to rebuild the gibbon’s population in Khao Pra Thaew,
It’s our dream for the animals to be able to live and sing free in this forest,
The forest which will be home to all animals.

Finally, the song of the gibbon is echoing around this forest again,
We hope all of you will help us keep the song going,
With your support and belief, we can make our dream come true,
Our dream to fill Khao Pra Thaew with gibbons,
The home for all animals.
Khao Pra Thaew, the last remaining forest of Phuket, A home for all animals.

We are in need of VOLUNTEERS. We rely entirely on volunteers and private donations to achieve our goals and further our cause. We welcome financial assistance, volunteers to help with our work and experts who can advise us. 100% of all donations go directly to the animals in our care. Interesting to join our team, contact May Volunteer Co-ordinator at volunteer@warthai.org