Baby Gibbons: Cute Pets, Deadly Trade

The illegal trade of gibbons as pets has surged, with over 336 individuals confiscated in South and Southeast Asia between January and August 2025. This seizure alone represented 20 percent of all gibbons confiscated over the past decade.

Demand for baby gibbons is largely driven by social media portrayals and exotic pet collections. However, the capture process is brutal, leading to immense loss. An estimated 90 percent of captured gibbons perish during transit. For each infant taken, three to four wild gibbons die protecting their young.

Conservation efforts, like releasing rescued gibbons, have shown mixed success. Many orphaned gibbons cannot be rehabilitated for survival in the wild. Stronger protections and stricter enforcement are crucial, as current penalties for trafficking are often weak, allowing the devastating trade to continue.