Words by Tess Becker
Following the recovery of the golden lion tamarin in Brazilian forests, another monkey is back from the brink of extinction.
The silvery gibbon is labeled endangered on the IUCN Red List. It can be found in protected areas and slowly vanishing, isolated forests on the western side of the Indonesian capital island of Java.
Threats of deforestation and poaching have brought the monkey's population to a low of 2,500. So conservation groups have been protecting them. This has mostly been in the form of repatriation, where conservationists with the Javan Primate Rehabilitation Centre take rescued gibbons to site within Mount Tilu Nature Reserve.
So far they have taken in 71 gibbons and managed to reintroduce 55 of them back into the wild.
“I am happy to see that the rehabilitated gibbons have adapted well to the forest after being released into the wild and some of them have already given birth to new baby gibbons,” Yana, a monitoring and community forest ranger at the Mount Tilu NR, said.
Charity check-in
At Smiley Movement, we like to elevate the work of charities across the world. Here are three charities whose causes align with the themes in this article.
Beacon Food Forest. This is one of the largest food forests in the country. Find out more and support them here.
Cultural Survival. They are an indigenous-led nonprofit focused on empowering indigenous Americans and helping the planet. Find out more.
American Forests. A conservation organization focused on preserving and protecting American forests. Support them here.
