Conservationists fear Perhilitan 'seizure' of gibbons as permit expires

The Gibbon Conservation Society (GCS) has warned that its decades-long conservation project could end soon if the Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) “seizes” its remaining gibbons.

GCS founder and president Mariani Ramli said the clock is ticking for the endangered gibbons and expressed grave concern that the group's original permit had lapsed, while a related application that would allow it to continue operations was not being addressed.

“Since 2019, we have operated under individual permits issued under Section 11(a) of Act 716 (Wildlife Conservation Act) previously belonging to (Peka president) Shariffa Sabrina Syed Akil. This is primarily for hunting or keeping totally protected wildlife or taking or keeping any part or derivative of such wildlife.

“While we await the amendment of Section 10(f), which pertains to operating a wildlife rehabilitation facility, we have recently applied for a permit under Section 12(2).

“This section allows for a special permit application by submitting a written request detailing the grounds for the application. Unfortunately, we have yet to receive a response from Perhilitan regarding this application,” she said in a statement.

She pointed out that the approval of this permit lies at the discretion of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, and it is essential for her group to continue its rehabilitation work without interruption.

“The ongoing care and rehabilitation of gibbons cannot be stalled as it directly impacts their wellbeing and survival chances once they are ready to be reintroduced into the wild,” she added.

Mariani feared that Perhilitan could forcibly remove the gibbons at the Malaya Gibbon Rehabilitation Project (Malaya Grep) site in Raub, Pahang, following a recent exchange of letters over the matter.

In December 2020, Perhilitan raided the Grep sanctuary and confiscated six gibbons following a Court of Appeal verdict that Mariani had no permission to keep the animals.

According to Mariani, Malaysia's conservation journey has been fraught with challenges, highlighted by struggles in the 1970s when the lack of clear guidelines led to setbacks in gibbon rehabilitation efforts.

“In contrast, the Gibbon Rehabilitation Project and Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand (WFFT) in Thailand, as well as other gibbon rehabilitation projects in Indonesia and Vietnam, have demonstrated successful models, supported by well-established protocols that have strengthened their conservation programmes,” she said.

Chances of survival

Mariani cited a situation when from 1976 to 1988, the Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre at Semenggoh Forest Reserve in Sarawak had received 122 gibbons that were confiscated or surrendered by the public. About 87 of them were subsequently released.

“The survival rate was unknown until a pivotal 1988 survey at Semenggoh revealed a grim reality - approximately 90 percent of these released gibbons did not survive long after reintroduction.

“This high mortality rate highlights the limitations of the current rehabilitation strategies and underscores the urgent need for revising conservation practices and addressing the challenges faced by conservation authorities,” she stressed.

She said GCS has been actively involved in several successful rehabilitation projects.

“One of our significant achievements is the birth of the first gibbon baby, named Axel, at our sanctuary.

“This was a milestone for us, indicating the success of our rehabilitation efforts, as Axel's parents were themselves rescued gibbons,” she added.

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