New Javan Gibbon at Aspinall Foundation
Aspinall Foundation officials at the Howletts Wild Animal Park are delighted to welcome the arrival of a new baby Javan gibbon to their family. These beautiful creatures are currently the most endangered gibbon species on the planet, with as few as 2,500 remaining in their natural habitat.
The Javan gibbon is usually found in the wild of Indonesia, but due to –
- Illegal Pet Trade
- Hunting
- Deforestation
there numbers have significantly reduced, and they have now been placed on the IUCN Red List as endangered. There are as few as 50 captive outside of Indonesia in only ten different parks across the globe. This is mostly due to very few pairs breeding successfully in captivity, so the new arrival is an amazing success for the park
Head of Primate Section, Matt Ford, said –
We are all delighted with our latest arrival to this group of Javan gibbons. Mum is very experienced and her baby boy is doing well. Howletts and our sister park, Port Lympne, together hold half of the world’s total captive population of Javan gibbon – currently housing 11 males and 13 females between the two parks. With 25 viable births since 1988, we are the world’s most successful breeder of this species.
The Aspinall Foundation has now launched a new project in Indonesia to help protect endangered primates from the illegal pet trade and help return them back into the wild.