The IPPL island from a safe distance...

Early 2005 we received a message from Dr. Shirley McGreal, founder of the International Primate Protection League (IPPL) that they would give us a grant towards the gibbons at the center. We ha to think for a long time where to spend the money on as there are always plenty of projects running, but at the end we decided to build one more island for the juvenile gibbons that one day will be released back to the wild. An island is an excellent enclosure for these younger gibbons to get used to the trees, the fruits on the trees and absolute no interaction with people.

We were able in March 2005 to dig up the island as the water levels were very low and the raining season was still far away. The digging was done by a large excavator and trees were planted a few weeks after.

The drought however continued and to make the trees survive we needed to water them for months. The water level in the lake got lower and lower and we were afraid the gibbons could not move on to their new island any time soon. The trees were getting larger and greener by October, but the rain didn't come...

Kookoo going around...

Bank swinging away...

Finally by the end of October we did get rain, and not a little! For days it poured out of the sky and within two weeks our lake reached the "full" level. The "large green hill" in the middle of an empty lake turned in to a beautiful island.

Currently six juvenile White Handed Gibbons live on the island that have been chosen to be released within the next year.

The island has made the live of these gibbons the second best possible, a live closer to nature.

We wish to Thank Dr. Shirley McGreal, Dian Taylor-Snow and all supporters of the IPPL for the help provided to our gibbons.

For more info on the work of the IPPL please follow the link www.ippl.org

Dollar on the move...