Adaptation of a Captive-Raised Gibbon to the Wild

The conservation world is approaching the consensus that rehabilitation is now a crucial part of the conservation process for many primates [Myers et al., 2000]. The purpose of rehabilitation is to remove orphaned animals from the illegal wildlife trade and provide them with an environment where they are: (1) encouraged to become more self-sufficient and (2) provided with the opportunity to live as they should in the wild. Ultimately, the goal is effective conservation of wild populations [Kierulff and de Oliveira, 1996]. Rehabilitation projects can also act as education and research centres, to communicate the pet trade problem to people and to raise money. It must be noted that combining tourism with rehabilitation has failed in the past, producing rehabilitant animals that are still attached to humans. Rehabilitants and visitors should not mix.