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A morning spent in the rainforests of Thailand is an unforgettable experience. The chorus of frogs and insects that accompanied the night slowly fades and the morning song of bird and animal species rises to a crescendo of excitement most notably from the forests noisiest inhabitant, the gibbon!
In Thailand many say that the morning territorial calls of the Gibbon are from the female calling to her husband to return home from a night out! The sound of the Gibbons call is almost exactly the same as the Thai word for husband, Pooa. In reality what they are doing is marking their territory or warning others that the particular fruit tree they are in is currently occupied so find somewhere else to feed!
Found throughout Southeast Asia, Gibbons are arboreal which means they spend the majority of their lives in the trees. They are not good walkers and have evolved and adapted to swing through the trees with ease! Their small bodies are tailless and their arms longer than their legs. Their grip is vice like and their shoulders are double jointed, this combined with their lightweight frame makes them ideal for swinging under branches. They have small heads an exceptionally cute appearance and are covered in fur ranging from black and brown to white.
In total there are 9 species of gibbon, including the white handed gibbon and the largest, the Siamang. Like us the gibbon is an omnivore and eats fruits and plants as well as meat which comprise mainly insects, small birds and occasionally eggs.
Unfortunately like many species in the rainforest Gibbons are endangered. The clearing of the rainforests has meant that much of their natural habitat and foraging areas have been lost. Adding to this, their cute appearance means that they are prized by many as pets. When visiting popular tourist locations in certain areas of Thailand, unfortunately it is still possible to see baby Gibbons scared and clinging to life on their adoptive human parents who wander the street asking for tips in order for you to have pictures taken with them. In order for these babies to be obtained, they must be taken from their mother, which generally involves shooting her and retrieving the baby. Once taken from their natural home and the natural cycle they are all a part of, they are of no longer reproductive, meaning the population declines. 
There are however certain organizations who take care of these beautiful animals. The Gibbon Project in Phuket is situated in the Khao Phra Theow National Park and they are working towards rehabilitating Gibbons to this area. The Gibbon Project has been successful in reintroducing 2 families already to Khao Phra Theow National Park and they have had 6 babies born in the wild. To get to Khao Phra Taew National Park in Phuket see our previous destinations article.
Gibbons are found throughout the country and Thailandecoportal.com recommends that on your list of things to do in Thailand’s National Parks must be to experience the early morning call of the gibbon. National Parks such as Khao Sok National Park in Surat Thani province, Kaeng Krachan National Park in Petchaburi and Pratchuap Khiri Khan Province and Doi Inthanon National Park in the North of Thailand are all ideal places to hear and hopefully see gibbons. One word of advice, in all our years of visiting national parks throughout Thailand, Thailanecoportal.com has only had a handful of sightings of Gibbons. The Gibbon has a shy nature and is also hard to spot as they are so high in the canopy of the forest. You will however hear them in the early morning in most national parks as their calls can travel kilometers. It will be an experience you will never forget!
Get out there and get into Nature only then will it be around for others to see in the future. We must make travel to natural areas a major part of the economy in order to safeguard our natural wonders! Enjoy.
