The newborn is the second to pileated gibbons released in the forests of Angkor. Local wildlife experts say the previous gibbon infant was the offspring of a pair of pileated gibbons released almost two years ago.
Commenting on the new addition to Angkor’s gibbon family, Wildlife Alliance director Nick Marx stated that the first few weeks of an infant’s life were crucial. He carried on by saying that was why all concerned had waited before releasing news of the birth.
Mr Marx added that it was impossible to tell what sex the infant was. He explained that once the creature reached puberty it would turn black if it was male. This typically takes around four years.
Pileated gibbons are indigenous to the region stretching from east Thailand through Cambodia to the far south of Laos. Cambodia’s long civil war and out-of-control poaching decimated Cambodia’s wildlife population. The cry of the gibbon had been consigned to history until recent efforts to release pairs into the wild.
Angkor Wat announces birth of rare pileated gibbon
News in Asia
The management authority at Cambodia’s Angkor Archaeological Park has announced the birth of an infant gibbon. Apsara Authority released news of the recent birth via its online portal and noted that the proud parents were rehabilitated gibbons which were released into local forests a year ago.