SILVERY GIBBON PROJECT NEWSLETTER The Page 1 June 2013 SILVERY GIBBON PROJECT

PO BOX 335 COMO 6952 WESTERN AUSTRALIA Website: www.silvery.org.au E-mail: [email protected] Phone: 0438 992 325

June 2013

PRESIDENT’S REPORT

Dear Members and Friends I hope, not just for Sadewa and Kiki, this forest will present an opportunity for many other gibbons Well this is what it’s all about! On June 15 two currently kept at JGC to live as a gibbons should; Javan Gibbon Centre (JGC) residents - Sadewa and for the species, an opportunity to establish a and Kiki - will be free! After years of planning, our new population of gibbons in Java. new release site at Malabar Forest near Bandung has been secured, facilities have been We will keep you posted on their progress. The constructed and the team is ready to go. Sadewa release program, however, has added significant and Kiki have been transferred to their new expenditure to our budget this year and we are enclosure at the release site and are getting used urgently seeking support. If you are able to help to the sights, sounds and tastes of this forest! I with a tax-deductible donation before the end of will have the privilege of being there on June 15 the financial year, we would greatly appreciate it - when their cage door is opened, and I hope that you will be helping to secure a future for Silvery this will symbolize a bright future for Javan gibbon gibbons! conservation. We were so pleased this month to see enthusiastic youngsters in QLD doing their bit to help Silvery gibbons. Check out our facebook page for their You Tube video.

We also visited Tranby College early in the year and were once again impressed by the support of this amazing school. Keep up the great work guys and we look forward to next year’s market day. (See pictures page 4).

If you would like the opportunity to visit the Javan L-R Kiki and Sedewa Gibbon Centre - and so much more of Indonesia’s Below – Transfer to Malabar Forest spectacular wildlife - why not join me on the next Wildlife Asia Big 5 Tour! It is an extraordinary opportunity to see wildlife from the perspective of a conservation tour. Places are available in November 2013 and March 2014. Visit www.orangutanodysseys.com/wildlifeasia to read more!

Take care

Clare Campbell President, Silvery Gibbon Project

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Silvery Gibbon: What binds together the different organisations that make up Wildlife Asia and why is it important for them to work collectively?

The partner organisations – The Orangutan Project; The Silvery Gibbon Project; The Asian Rhino Project and Free the Bears - all work in a SILVERY GIBBON TALKS WITH similar geographic area of Southeast Asia. By WILDLIFE ASIA FUNDRAISING pooling funds, information, resources and expertise I feel they can be more effective. Each MANAGER, MICHAEL KERR organisation equally shares strong foundations as well as the passion and drive to succeed. Wildlife Silvery Gibbon: Michael, congratulations on Asia currently has 6 species under our umbrella becoming the new Fundraising Manager for and this gives us a very broad appeal. By working Wildlife Asia. Can you tell us what you’re hoping collectively we can reach a larger audience and to achieve in the coming year? promote a very holistic conservation message. It also allows us to be more efficient and effective In the coming year, my aim with our funds. is to develop Wildlife Asia’s brand, and to establish sustainable funding strategies. I would Michael Kerr like to explore opportunities aside from the usual fundraising methods, and target people or businesses that wouldn’t normally donate GO WITHOUT FOR GIBBONS to conservation causes. I hope to significantly raise the profile of Wildlife Asia. Earlier this year, the SGP Committee took it upon themselves to raise funds by going without some Silvery Gibbon: Why did you get involved with this luxuries for the month of February. organisation? You may remember that some of us went without I got involved with Wildlife Asia because I believe (to name a few): in the concept. If we can secure sufficient funding, the four partnership organisations can  Coffee really do some amazing things, and see the  Alcohol tangible benefits of their hard work. Wildlife Asia  Chocolate has an exciting future and the ability to be a  Purchasing clothes market leader in wildlife conservation.

Family, relatives and Facebook friends also joined Silvery Gibbon: What attracted you to in and we are pleased to announce that we raised conservation more generally, and why does it matter? the grand sum of $4688.

I have been involved in several of Wildlife Asia’s A great fundraiser and we hope to do it again in partner organisations in a voluntary capacity for 2014. over 10 years. It’s a rewarding experience, but I became increasingly frustrated with the difficulties in raising funds for such important causes. I decided to become more directly involved in promoting the good work done by these organisations. The amount of time, effort and passion that the Wildlife Asia Committee puts in is inspiring, and I would like to be able to support their efforts by developing Wildlife Asia into a successful organisation. SILVERY GIBBON PROJECT NEWSLETTER Page 3 June 2013 LEONARDO DICAPRIO weeks ago his Foundation joined with Christies THE QUIET CONSERVATIONIST Auction to raise $38,000,000 in support of global conservation measures.

You may know Leonardo DiCaprio as a

Hollywood actor, but for

many years he has been an active LAR GIBBONS: A PROFILE advocate for By Jeff Beaton environmental causes. In 1998 he set up the Sometimes called the white-handed gibbon, lar Leonardo DiCaprio gibbons (Hylobates lar) have the greatest north- Foundation, dedicated south range of all gibbon species. They range to protecting the Earth’s throughout Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia last wild places and and the northern third of Sumatra and Indonesia. fostering a harmonious They were once found in the southwest of Yunnan relationship between province, China, but may now be extinct in that humanity and the region. Their greatest numbers are in Thailand, natural world. The numbering 15,000 to 20,000. Foundation has been working with environmental and humanitarian Lar gibbons have issues through grant making, campaigning and white upper sides of media projects. Areas of focus include; wildlife hands and feet, with a and habitat preservation, healthy oceans, water ring of white hair access, climate change and disaster relief. framing their faces. Their fur can vary A committed environmentalist, DiCaprio chooses from a sandy or pale fawn through a red buff to to fly on commercial flights instead of chartering brown, or black with both male and females private jets, drives environmentally friendly having these colour variations. Whether a lar vehicles and installed solar panels on his house. gibbon is light or dark in colour is determined by He considers that global warming is the number- its genetic inheritance from its parents - the dark one environmental challenge. colour being the dominant gene. In 2010, DiCaprio donated $1,000,000 to relief Parents can be of efforts in Haiti after the earthquake, and later in any colour. Lars the same year donated another $1,000,000 to weigh 5 to 7.6kg the Wildlife Conservation Society at the Russian (M); 4.4 to 6.8kg Tiger Summit. In 2011, he joined the Animal (F) and grow to a Legal Defence Fund's campaign to free Tony, a height of 43.5 to tiger who has spent 58.5cm (M); 42 to the last decade at the 58cm (F). Tiger Truck Stop in Grosse Tete, There are four acknowledged subspecies: Louisiana. Since  Carpenters lar gibbon (Hylobates lar then, DiCaprio has carpenteri) found in eastern Myanmar, north- become increasingly western Thailand and Laos; involved in  Central lar gibbon (H. l. entelloides) found in conservation southern Myanmar and southern Thailand; campaigns of tigers,  Malaysian lar gibbon (H. l. lar) found in and recently speaking Malaysia and southern Thailand; out in support of  Sumatran lar gibbon (H. l. vestitus) found in conservation of habitat in Sumatra, Aceh, Indonesia (northern Sumatra). Thailand and other parts of South East Asia. He  A possible fifth subspecies, the Yunnan lar (H. has sponsored campaigns in defence of l. yunnanensis), located in the Yunnan elephants, orangutans, sharks and other province of southern China has been endangered animals, and his Foundation is described as data-deficient and is now likely to stepping up work against poaching in Kenya. Two be extinct. SILVERY GIBBON PROJECT NEWSLETTER Page 4 June 2013

Though generally monogamous, studies in the Animal Diversity Web (October, 2005) early 2000’s have shown that some lars form http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/index.html serial monogamous relationships with occasional Burnie, D. (2001) Animal – The Definitive Visual Guide to partner changes the World’s Wildlife. Dorling Kindersley Limited, London. and even non- Groves, C. P. (2005). In Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. monogamous Mammal Species of the World groupings. Groups Brandon-Jones D, Eudey AA, Geissmann T Groves CP, usually consist of a Melnick DJ, Morales JC, Shekelle M, Stewart (2004). mated pair and Asian primate classification. Int J Primatol. pp. 97–164 their offspring. The average home Sommer, V. & Reichard, U. (2000). "Rethinking 2. Monogamy: The Gibbon Case". In P. Kappeler, ed. range of lar gibbons is approx 0.4km . Lars mark Primate Males. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. their territory with an elaborate duet sung between pp. 159–168 males and females during the morning and these IUCN Red List duets are also thought to assist in bonding. The http://www.iucnredlist.org male will usually do a solo call upon awaking in the morning. Group members will usually sleep alone in separate “sleeping” trees near the rest of the group. Sexual maturity is reached at about nine years old and until that time the gibbon will TRANBY COLLEGE - MARKET DAY remain with its parents. On reaching sexual (Refer article from Page 1) maturity a juvenile will be expelled from the family group. Lar gibbons have a life span of about 25 to 30 years in the wild and up to 50 in captivity.

Active during the day, lar gibbons are arboreal and occupy primary or secondary semi-deciduous monsoon forests and tropical monsoon forests. Combined data drawn from a number of studies suggests, in general, that food for the lar consists fruit (66%), leaves (24%), flowers (1%) and insects and non-vertebrates (9%). However, individual studies in different localities show significant variations to these figures. Lar gibbons will rarely descend to the ground, preferring the safety of the trees. They are expert at using their long arms to brachiate through the tree tops. On the rare occasions they do descend to the ground they will walk bi-pedally with their arms raised for balance.

Overall, the lar gibbon species is classified as endangered on the IUCN Red List. The primary threats to their continued existence is similar to many other species in South East Asia; ie habitat loss, hunting for meat and young gibbons taken for the pet trade. The latter happens after its parents have been killed. You can help this species by refusing to have your photo taken with baby gibbons, and by raising awareness of forest deforestation. Silvery Gibbon Project (SGP) also visited Tranby College early in the year and were once again References: impressed by the support of this amazing school. Gron KJ. 2010 November 17. Primate Factsheets: Lar Keep up the great work guys and we look forward gibbon (Hylobates lar) Taxonomy, Morphology, & Ecology to next year’s market day. . http://pin.primate.wisc.edu/factsheets/entry/lar_gibbon. Accessed 2013 May 22.

SILVERY GIBBON PROJECT NEWSLETTER Page 5 June 2013

The First BIG 5 TOUR: Wildlife Asia By Emma Malloch

My name is Emma Malloch and I am the newest Committee member of The Silvery Gibbon Project (it must have been fate that I fell in love with the amazing Hylobates moloch). I have always loved gibbons; however, I never imagined that I would ever be lucky enough to work with them. In September last year, I started work at the Perth Zoo and wanted to get involved straight away. I decided to go on the very first Big 5 Tour organised by Wildlife Asia in March this year. I wanted to get an overview of the conservation issues in Indonesia, and see first-hand the animals and rehabilitation facilities. It was even better than I could have imagined. This trip was an unbelievable experience, with memories that will last a life time! There is nothing more humbling than sitting on the back of a boat in the middle of the forest jungle watching the sun rise as thousands of birds sing their morning song. Breaking through this chorus of bird song was the majestic call of the gibbons from deep in the jungle.

It was a small tour group, to ensure a more intimate and more rewarding experience. We saw the incredible efforts of the conservation groups involved with orangutans, sun bears, asian elephants, the rhino and silvery gibbons – and much more. We were all impressed with the great work being done. We visited the Javan Gibbon Centre (normally not open to tourists), the Asian Rhino facility, orangutan rehabilitation centres and sun bear rehabilitation centres.

I will never forget watching a female orangutan build a nest for her child and herself just before the skies opened and we were greeted by the most intense but refreshing rain of my life. I will also never forget spotting a baby silvery gibbon swing between the branches, high in the trees; or proboscis monkeys jumping in huge numbers into the river right in front of us; or a totally wild and weathered orangutan.

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The Big 5 trip was run incredibly well with fantastic accommodation and food. All of the staff and local guides were fantastic. The best thing of all is that we were contributing to the conservation of the precious animals of Asia. I could not recommend this trip more for anyone that wants to experience the true beauty of this world. This trip has changed my life!

Thanks Wildlife Asia !

Emma Malloch

SILVERY GIBBON PROJECT NEWSLETTER Page 7 June 2013 PEOPLE AND CONSERVATION

CHANEE BRULÉ - DIRECTOR OF KALAWEIT

Chanee Brulé is the Founder and Director of Kalaweit, a gibbon conservation centre in Palangka Raya, Central Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo). Kalaweit is the local Indigenous (Dayak) name for gibbon. Chanee is his adopted name - the Thai word for Gibbon – after he first encountered gibbons in the wild in the tropical forests of Thailand. In late March this year Chanee published his latest book on gibbons - Le sourire fendu – which has recently been translated and is to be published in English this October. The Silvery Gibbon Project (SGP) took the opportunity to ask Chanee a few questions for our newsletter.

Chanee was born in 1979 in a small village called Fayence between Saint Tropez and Monaco, in the south of France. He took an interest in animals as a child, and became enthralled with gibbons. As he told SGP, “At 12 years old I was studying gibbons in zoos every time when I was not at school”. He published his first book – on the behaviour of gibbons – when he was only sixteen years old. A year later Chanee set off for Thailand to work on gibbon conservation in their own Southeast Asian habitats. After devastating forest fires in Indonesia in 1997, Chanee moved to Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo) in May 1998 to establish a gibbon rescue and rehabilitation centre – Kalaweit. This was the first gibbon conservation project in Indonesia at the time, and has been the trail-blazer for other in-situ gibbon conservation centres throughout Indonesia. He soon met Prada, whom he married, and who shares his passion for gibbon conservation. They have two children, Andrew and Enzo. Last year Chanee was granted Indonesian nationality.

Chanee, apologising for his “Frenchy English”, explained his passion for conservation:

“Conservation is about the future ... the future of endangered species, of any species, of humans and the earth. No life on earth matters without a future. Taking away the future of one species is slowly taking away our own and the future of our children. No matter what the success of any conservation initiative, what matters is that the fight to save life must go on”.

SGP Committee member Robin Stevens asked Chanee, “How did Kalaweit come to be established? When, and how is it going now?”

“Kalaweit started in 1998 when I arrived in Indonesia to try to rescue gibbons detained as pets. Officially the Indonesian government allowed Kalaweit to exist in September 1999. Kalaweit now employs 57 persons, takes care of 246 gibbons, including 5 species, and is also involved in the protection of 32,000 hectares of habitat. We run a Radio Station for the last 10 years, which has 15,000 listeners [it is broadcast 24 hours a day and is the most popular radio station in the Palangka Raya area]. Kalaweit is also doing a lot for other local species. Often we intervene in conflicts between wild animals and locals. In addition to gibbons, we take care of 8 sun bears and 9 crocodiles, and many other animals in need of refuge”.

Kalaweit has proved to be a resounding success, and Radio Kalaweit, with its emphasis on conservation and popular culture has been successful in recruiting young locals in support of its conservation efforts. More recently, Kalaweit purchased land in Sumatra to extend its work there. They have 99ha of land, which they hope to increase to 130ha very soon. The idea is, as Chanee puts it, to save animals from “imminent death”.

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Robin Stevens asked, “Are you excited about the publication of your new book in English?

“My latest book Le sourire fendu (The Cracked Smile) was published in March 2013 and will be translated into English in October. This is new for me. I'm very curious to know if English speakers will like it, as I'm not really a writer. I just write what I feel and see, and to share my emotions. Some people will probably be surprised, as I just try to talk about gibbons. But there are also a lot of the people around me who share my fight to save the wildlife”.

Chanee has been an extraordinary campaigner for gibbon conservation. In addition to running Kalaweit, a successful radio station and writing books, he makes almost daily entries on the Kalaweit web page, has made a successful television series and provided invaluable support to other conservation groups, including the Silvery Gibbon Project. He ended his discussion with a final message to SGP.

“The Silvery Gibbon Project is an old partner of Kalaweit, and I would like to thank all members of SGP for their support and their love of gibbons”.

All the best Chanee

AND PROUDLY SUPPORTED BY