Freedom for Gibbons: Malaysia's Forgotten Apes

Imagine spending years trapped in a tiny cage, deprived of the freedom to stretch your limbs, to feel the sun on your skin, unable to roam free or connect with your natural surroundings.

For Ebony and Coley, this was their reality. Stolen from the wild, they endured years of isolation, neglect, physical and emotional abuse.

Ebony, Axel's mom.

This is the heartbreaking reality for many gibbons in Malaysia. But today, you can help change that.

Rehabilitating gibbons is a lengthy, complex, and costly process that often spans between 5 and 15 years. For Ebony, Coley, and Axel, the time has come to take the final steps towards freedom, and we need your help to make it happen!

We need $149,330 to cover the essential expenses for the family’s pre-release monitoring, release preparations, post-release monitoring, and the salaries for four Indigenous rangers who will monitor the family in the wild for 24 months.

Your Impact

When Coley arrived at our center, his future seemed bleak. Malnourished and abused as a pet, he couldn’t swing or climb like a wild gibbon, and often fell trying. Traumatized, he even plucked his own hair. Ebony’s story was just as heartbreaking—years of neglect left her confined to a tiny basket, scarred both mentally and physically.

Coley's progress timeline.

But then, something incredible happened. Slowly, with proper rehabilitation, both Ebony and Coley began to heal. Coley’s weak muscles grew stronger, and soon he was swinging effortlessly across his enclosure. For the first time in his life, he could move freely. Ebony, though still carrying the emotional scars of her past, found comfort in Coley.  Against all odds, the two formed a bond, and that bond became a family.

Ebony's progress timeline.

In 2023, their baby Axel was born—the first gibbon ever born in a Malaysian rehabilitation center. Axel represents everything we work for: a new beginning, a future where gibbons no longer face the horrors of captivity and exploitation.

Baby Axel's progress timeline.

Axel's birth marks a turning point, not just for this little family, but for the entire gibbon species in Malaysia. Axel’s first breath was a breath of hope–proof that rehabilitation works and that these incredible primates can have a second chance at life.

Axel when he was less than a month old!

But their story isn’t over yet. They still need your help to make their journey to freedom complete.

By supporting this release, you’re not just helping three gibbons—you’re playing a crucial role in the conservation of a critically endangered species and co-creating a sustainable future for indigenous communities.

Little Axel resting in Ebony's embrace.

Along with ensuring Ebony, Coley, and Axel’s successful return to the wild, we are dedicated to empowering Indigenous communities. Through training and job opportunities, we will equip them to become rangers and nature guides, offering alternative, sustainable incomes through eco-edu tourism programs that protect wildlife and promote environmental stewardship.

What Will Your Donation Support?

This release will follow the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Best Practice Guidelines for Translocation and Release, a globally recognized standard to ensure the success and safety of wildlife returning to their natural habitats.

Here’s how your contributions will be used:

The assets listed, including the GPS trackers, satellite phones, and vehicle, will be used not only for this release but also for future releases and ongoing conservation efforts. The vehicle, which is being purchased for the first time, will provide critical transportation for our rangers to and from the release site and other fieldwork operations that require reliable land transport.

Your donation today will transform lives—both human and gibbon. Help us create a future where they can live wild and free.