news

Wildlife Asia

In a world where charitable organisations often lose their way, we now have a shining example of how like minded charities can work together to increase their direct and real on the ground contributions to the conservation and welfare of wildlife.

The Australian Orangutan Project, Asian Rhino Project, Free the Bears and the Silvery Gibbon Project, all long standing Registered Australian Environmental Organisations with Tax Deductible Status, have joined to form a new umbrella organisation called ‘Wildlife Asia’. The primary objective of the Wildlife Asia is to increase: conservation contribution, capacity and efficiency for wildlife conservation.

Wildlife in Asia is reaching a crisis point. Due to habitat loss and poaching many species have their backs against the wall. This new holistic approach will give the Australian private, philanthropist and business communities the opportunity to contribute to broad reaching support for wildlife in Asia, backed by four of Australia’s premier conservation charities. Already formed by four of the most efficiency conservation charities within Australia, Wildlife Asia will create even more efficiencies through ‘shared services’, to ensure that even more of every dollar raised can go straight to the field.

October saw the first release of a pair of ex pet Silvery Gibbons back into the wild. Please see our latest newsletter for detailed reports…

Newsletters

2009-10 Silvery Gibbon Project Annual Report

Download the annual report here (pdf).

September 2010 Silvery Gibbon Project newsletter

Download the newsletter here (pdf).

June 2010 Silvery Gibbon Project newsletter

Download the newsletter here (pdf).

December 2009 Silvery Gibbon Project newsletter

Download the newsletter here (pdf).

September 2009 Silvery Gibbon Project newsletter

Download the newsletter here (pdf).

2008-09 Silvery Gibbon Project Annual Report

Download the annual report here (pdf).

June 2009 Silvery Gibbon Project newsletter

Download the newsletter here (pdf).

February 2009 Silvery Gibbon Project newsletter

Download the newsletter here (pdf).

November 2008 Silvery Gibbon Project newsletter

Download the newsletter here (pdf).

2007/2008 Silvery Gibbon Project Annual Report

Download the report (pdf).

August 2008 Silvery Gibbon Project newsletter

Download the newsletter here (pdf).

June 2008 Silvery Gibbon Project newsletter

Download the newsletter here (pdf).

Indonesian Gibbon Conservation and Management Workshop

Download the final report from the workshop in February 2008 (pdf).

Javan Gibbon Centre on the Move (1 January 2007)

As reported at the AGM, there have been some major developments since our recent visit to the Javan Gibbon Centre in September 2006. The lease for the land on which the centre has resided since November 2002 was not renewed and as a result the centre was forced to relocate with very little notice. Luckily a new site has already been found not far from the previous site. Relocation of the animals and the facilities is already underway, however there is a lot that still needs to be done to get the centre fully functional.

It is unfortunate that such little notice was given of the lease termination, as the ideal would have been to have the new facilities built before the gibbons were moved. With the current situation, the gibbons have had to be moved to temporary holding cages while the new facilities are constructed. It has however prompted some much needed progress and our hope is to build a bigger and better facility at the new site that can accommodate a much larger number of gibbons and allow for breeding, rehabilitation and hopefully release. We are hopeful that the new centre will be operational within a couple of months, however they are entering the wet season when construction work will become quite difficult.

In January we will be sending two committee members across to the centre to assess the site and the progress. We have arranged for this visit for a JGC staff member to visit the Kalaweit site in Palangkaraya, Borneo as well as for Chanee from Kalaweit to come to the new JGC site and provide advice on developing the site.

Funds are desperately needed to ensure that the centre is up and running at the new site as soon as possible, and to ensure that enough enclosures are built to accommodate not only the current gibbons, but also a number of others from local rescue centres and villages. We hope to create a world class centre similar to Kalaweit that will contribute significantly to the conservation of this species. We need your support to make this happen.