Gibbons are the least studied of the apes yet face severe threats from habitat loss and the illegal pet trade.
Gibbon welfare is compromised at both the population and individual level. Wild gibbons lose mates and territory to deforestation, causing social disruption. Infant gibbons in the pet trade are taken through traumatic capture events that kill their parents, then held in conditions that prevent the long-arm locomotion and pair bonding that are central to their behavioral biology. Rehabilitation and release programs for rescued gibbons are the welfare priority.