Gibbons are highly specialized brachiating apes with complex social structures and vast territorial ranges in the wild, making adequate zoo housing one of the most challenging problems in primate welfare.
Adequate gibbon housing must provide three-dimensional space with extensive overhead climbing structures that allow full expression of brachiation behavior. Many older zoo enclosures are simply too small and structurally inadequate. The long-distance vocalizations (songs) that gibbons use for territory defense and pair bonding must be accommodated in zoo settings, which can create challenges in urban zoos with noise concerns. Gibbons that are separated from partners show significant behavioral distress. Accredited zoos participating in Species Survival Plans provide social housing and environmental enrichment that substantially improves welfare outcomes.