October 24 marks International Gibbon Day, a celebration of Asia’s little apes. This year’s theme, “The forest has a voice; can you hear it?”
The singing, swinging apes
Gibbons are remarkable singers. Highly territorial, they use loud, melodious calls to defend their home ranges, with specialised throat sacs amplifying their songs for miles through dense jungle. Gibbons also sing to strengthen social bonds within their close-knit family units, including through elaborate duets between partner individuals.
Yet, these mesmerising whoops are becoming increasingly rare. Borneo is home to four of the world’s gibbon species; all classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Despite legal protection in Indonesian Borneo, these apes face mounting pressure from habitat loss caused by forest fires, overexploitation, agricultural expansion and human encroachment. As forests disappear and degrade, the chorus of gibbon song grows quieter. On International Gibbon Day, we’re asking you to help turn it up!
Smoke in the air, silence in the trees
Since 2005, our Gibbon Research Project has become the world’s longest-running continuous study of wild gibbons, accumulating over 10,000 hours of field observations and revealing fascinating insights into their behaviour and ecology.
One particularly striking discovery is that gibbons sing less frequently and for shorter periods during heavy smoke. Because singing plays a vital role in communication and social bonding, this disruption could make it harder for individuals to stay in contact across the dense forest canopy. The findings highlight how fires threaten not only gibbons’ habitat, but also the behaviours that help their families thrive.
A voice for nature
Gibbons are the vocal ambassadors of Asia’s forests. As charismatic umbrella species, protecting their habitat also benefits countless other animals and plants that share the same ecosystem. Their songs tell us something fundamental about forest health: when the forest falls silent, we should pay attention.
This International Gibbon Day, help us keep the music alive. We’re releasing a special EP on YouTube, featuring five tracks of authentic gibbon song.
Check out the EP, immerse yourself in the symphony of the forest, and share the experience with others. Listening is free, but if you’d like to show your support, please consider donating to our firefighting campaign. Every contribution helps protect vital gibbon habitat from Borneo’s ongoing fires. Together, we can help ensure that future generations will still hear gibbons singing in the wild.
THE KALIMANTAN GIBBON ENSEMBLE: LISTEN NOW
KEEP GIBBONS SINGING: DONATE TODAY
