Gibbon 'dating agency' saves apes

[depakid]

A gibbon dating agency is helping to reintroduce once captive apes into the forests of southeast Asia. Unusually among apes, a male and female gibbon will mate and remain faithful to one another for life, reaffirming their bond with complex mating songs.

But across southeast Asia, gibbons are captured and illegally held as pets. Now one conservationist is returning these apes to the wild, by first rescuing them, and then using his match-making skills to pair them up.

The story of the gibbon-dating agency is told by the programme "Radio Gibbon", broadcast as part of the BBC wildlife series "Natural World". The agency is run by Chanee Brule, a 29-year-old Frenchman who fell in love with gibbons after seeing them in a zoo as a child.

He studied the apes from a young age, producing a guide to their captive care aged 13. Today, he runs a gibbon sanctuary in a region of Borneo called Kalimantan.

At the sanctuary, Brule has broken with convention in more ways than one. Firstly, he broadcasts a radio station from it, Radio Kalaweit, which has been dubbed "Radio Gibbon".

By playing vibrant pop music, he has acquired an active audience of young people in the region, which he also educates about ape conservation. As a result, he receives a significant number of tip offs about gibbons that are being illegally held as pets, or have been abandoned by their owners.

Brule and his team rescue these apes, caring for them at the sanctuary.

But that is only the start of the work.

More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8401000/8401487.stm

[Orrex]

1. I thought that this was going to be about Charles pining for Diane Sawyer.

I was waaaaaay off!

[silverweb]

2. Great story!

:thumbsup: