Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 7 December. A study focussing on the trade
in gibbons, recently published in the journal Endangered Species
Research, highlights the ongoing illegal trade in these threatened
species in western Indonesia.

The research, conducted by investigators based in England and
Malaysia, collected data from 22 zoos and nine wildlife rescue centres
and found some 600 gibbons present in these facilities. The most
common species kept as pets was the Siamang, from the Indonesian
island of Sumatra, with close to 200 individuals observed. Only six
Kloss' Gibbons from the Mentawai Islands were observed.

<http://www.traffic.org/home/2009/12/7/study-highlights-gibbon-trade-in-indonesia.html>

A recent episode of NBC's 30 Rock featured a young gibbon named "Little Jenna" dressed in human clothing and toted around like a doll. The gibbon is also featured on NBC's website promoting a "Best Dressed Pets" contest, which irresponsibly promotes keeping primates as pets.

Please send a letter or email to NBC letting them know that gibbons are not props and shouldn't be exploited for a cheap laugh.  Read on for a sample letter.

Source:  Copyright 2008, CNN
Date:  March 17, 2008
Byline:  Arwa Damon
Original URL

Primatologist Dr. Jatna Supriatna scans the treetops in a national park on the island of Java, looking for gibbons. This area is home to about 150 of the remaining 4,000 Java gibbons. These highly acrobatic creatures are easy prey on the ground and live well above it in the jungle canopy.

China's fauna exhibits a unique diversity of apes. Unfortunately, the apes are more strongly endangered by extinction in China than in any other country. A research team assembled by anthropologists of Zurich University now conclude that an other ape species has just become extinct in China's Yunnan province.

Although Hainan black-crested gibbons have been on the list of the most endangered primate species in the world for many years, their environment is still deteriorating, especially on Hainan Island. Our findings indicate that the species is unlikely to survive the next decades unless efficient conservation policies and strategies are put in place immediately. Census data show that populations of the species used to occur across the whole island, but in 2003 only 13 individuals could be found, confined to a small region, the Bawangling Natural Reserve (19 02¹-19 08¹N and 109 02¹-10913¹ E), in the western part of the island, covering only 14-16 km². In other words, ca. 99% of the habitat has vanished in the past 300 years. Such dramatic change has pushed the species to the edge of extinction; only 2 groups and 2 solitary adult males, remained in 2003. Two adult females, 2 juveniles and one infant comprise Group A, in Donger, the core area of the western part of the reserve; and 1 adult male, 2 adult females, 1 juvenile and 1 infant formed another group (B), confined to another core area (Nanchahe) in the northern part of the reserve. The dramatic decline in the gibbon population has occurred due to vegetation reduction, ecological deterioration and extensive human impact. The forest cover was reduced from 95.5% 2000 years ago to just 4% in 1999; and the human population in 2003 was 330% larger than in 1950.