Now at almost 10 months old, Akio, the young male pileated gibbon is doing well.
Akio was born on 12th April 12th, unfortunately his mum, Mali seemed to lack the understanding or maternal instinct to take care of him, and ultimately she abandoned him. Eventually keepers had to step in and the decision was made to hand rear him.
He is now at the stage where he is becoming less dependent on milk and is starting to try new foods such as bananas! Keepers are still doing their best to teach Akio the skills of an adult gibbon by helping him to build his confidence at climbing, trying new foods, and experiencing everything a gibbon could reasonably encounter. All of his care is being done in close proximity to his parents, Mali and Lae, with the aim being to reintroduce Akio as soon as possible, so that he can then continue his development into adulthood naturally alongside his family.
The pileated gibbon comes from Cambodia, Laos and South-east Thailand. They live in monsoon and tropical monsoon forests. They primarily eat fruits high in sugar, but also leaves, flowers and insects. In captivity they can live up to 34 years! Their status in the wild is currently listed as endangered on the IUCN red list.
Image (c) Scott Davey