Gibbons are the acrobatic lesser apes of Southeast Asia. Habitat destruction and the pet trade have created a crisis requiring both wild protection and sanctuary care for displaced individuals.
Gibbons held as pets suffer profound welfare harm. Their natural lifestyle involves pair bonding, territorial singing, and continuous arboreal locomotion across forest canopy — none of which is possible in a cage or on a chain. Isolated pet gibbons develop severe abnormal behaviors: stereotypic rocking, self-biting, and psychological disorders from social deprivation. Their powerful arms, evolved for brachiation, create significant safety risks for owners as they mature — many are then further confined or abandoned. Rehabilitation is enormously challenging: re-socializing isolated pet gibbons requires years of patient work, and release success depends on availability of appropriate protected habitat. Preventing the pet trade through law enforcement and demand reduction is far more effective than rescue rehabilitation.