Willy: Ex-captive Javan Gibbon released to the forest with new family

Jatna, the son of Wili and Sasa
Jatna, the son of Willy and Sasa. Photo by Anton Ario.

Here is the short video about Willy, ex-captive Javan Gibbon that went back to the forest with his new family, on the International Gibbon Day. He was orphaned when he became a pet, then he was rehabilitated and formed his new family in the Javan Gibbon Center, West Java, before released to the forest.

How long the rehabilitation was? It took years and investments for wild behavioral preparedness, so they are ready when they return to the nature.

Javan Gibbon listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (currently less than 4,000-5000 individuals in the wild). In addition to habitat loss, hunting for illegal pet trade is also a serious threat to Javan Gibbon (Nijman 2004; Supriatna 2006). Hunting one Javan Gibbon baby usually kills another 1-2 family members, as the adults were slaughtered so the poachers can sell the baby into the market. Therefore, this rehabilitation program aims to get them back to the forest, so the Javan Gibbon can support natural reforestation, which at the end, will benefits our people.

State of Biodiversity in Asia and the Pacific

The Asia Pacific region is rich in biodiversity, but the reservoirs of nature face great pressures and is in fast decline. In order to address global biodiversity loss, the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 was adopted by countries, including those from the Asia Pacific. Here is “The state of biodiversity in Asia and the Pacific, a mid-term review of progress towards the Aichi biodiversity target”. Tracking the progress can helps identify the next steps to accelerate progress towards target.

Some excerpts from the report about the state of biodiversity in the region are:

  • The exceptional biodiversity in Asia and the Pacific continues to decline.
  • Combinations of human-induced factors are a key driver of biodiversity loss.
  • Asia and the Pacific continue to experience deforestation and forest degradation.
  • Rapid growth in demand for wildlife products is fuelling unsustainable trade, with impacts inside and outside of the region.
  • Invasive alien species create pressures on the oceanic islands.
  • Marine ecosystems are vulnerable to growth in commercial and artisanal fisheries.
  • The negative impacts of climate change on species and ecosystems are exacerbating the effects of other pressures on Asia and the Pacific’s biodiversity.

There is much more information at the link.

About the Blog

I’ve been working in conservation and conservation science for a couple of decades.  Currently, I serve as CI’s Senior Vice President for Asia Pacific Field Division.  I worked at The Nature Conservancy (TNC) for many years and got to work on big deals like the Great Bear Rainforest agreements in Canada and the Montana Legacy project. I managed to get a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the California Institute of Technology and still try to publish occasionally in conservation science. I reside in Singapore with my wife Tina and daughter Tristan.  This is my personal blog on conservation and other interesting topics.