“Keep
gibbons
wild.”
THE PROBLEM
Illegal wildlife trafficking has surged since 2023 across key biodiversity hotspots in India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand.
These countries serve as source, transit, and destination points for various wildlife species, including gibbons and siamangs (family Hylobatidae), all of which are either Endangered (EN) or Critically Endangered (CR) under the IUCN Red List. All gibbons and siamangs are also totally protected from international trade under CITES Appendix I. Learn more about gibbons and siamangs here.
Organised trafficking syndicates exploit porous borders, weak enforcement, and the lack of coordination between nations to feed the international demand for gibbons in the exotic pet trade and entertainment industries, as well as for private collections and political diplomacy.
Recent cases have highlighted increases in the trafficking of gibbons and siamangs from Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand - by boat, overland, and air trafficking through the Thai and Malaysian airports, with most seizures taking place at Indian airports.
In response to this crisis, Save the Gibbon Alliance (SGA) was formed to foster partnerships and unite regional stakeholder groups against gibbon trafficking. The alliance serves as a platform for:
Public awareness campaigns;
Resource and capacity sharing;
Central point of coordination among multiple disciplines.
SGA’s steering committee comprises the Aaranyak, Malaysian Primatological Society, Roots and Shoots Malaysia, and Orangutan Information Centre.
THE ALLIANCE
Our role is to bring together scientists, in-situ and ex-situ conservationists, journalists, government agencies, and civil society organisations to address all aspects of the gibbon trafficking chain, from the drivers of demand to recovery plans.
SGA aims to:
Reclaim public narratives
surrounding primate conservation and issues related to the illegal trade, wildlife laundering, and animal welfare - by using evidence-based storytelling to inspire public discourse.
Advocate for stronger policies
that recognise gibbons and siamangs as a conservation priority by linking trade issues to One Health, biodiversity, natural heritage, and ethics.
Break barriers between disciplines
and synergise science, animal welfare, education, social justice, and policy advocacy approaches to improve the protection of wild and confiscated gibbons.
Contact us for info or collaboration.
THE APPROACH
Database
The directory below collects news reports, mainly from the English-language news outlets, about cases involving gibbons and siamangs confiscated in India, or in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand, but destined for India. These reports represent severe underestimations of the true scale of gibbon smuggling issues and the real loss of the number of gibbons in the wild.
Please reach out to admin@savegibbons.org if you are collecting data related to this issue, especially on news reports from non-English sources, such as Bahasa Indonesia and Thai.