What drives the trafficking of gibbons? Conservationists shed light on demand

As gibbon seizures reached a record high in 2025, conservationists warn that dismantling the illegal trade requires a deep understanding of the diverse motivations driving consumer demand, contributor Ana Norman Bermúdez reports for Mongabay.

In 2025, authorities confiscated 336 gibbons between January and August alone, representing approximately 20% of all recorded seizures since 2016, according to an analysis by the wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC.

Experts say that because motivations for buying a gibbon vary widely across different buyer communities, solutions must be tailored accordingly.

“Primates have always fascinated people,” said Elizabeth John of TRAFFIC, adding that gibbons are particularly appealing “because of their uniqueness and rarity.”

While Indonesia and Vietnam have historically dominated the gibbon trade, India and Malaysia have emerged as key countries in the illegal chain in recent years.

In Malaysia, demand is often driven by a misplaced “love” for animals. Mariani “Bam” Ramli, founder of the Gibbon Conservation Society, said most owners acquire gibbons through informal networks or online, usually to keep as pets, and surrender their animals voluntarily. “Most of them say they love animals, or they want their children to have an animal to play with,” Ramli said.

The market in India has two kinds of demand: local trade in rural areas and wealthy urban buyers willing to buy gibbons for social standing. Florian Magne, director of the HURO Foundation, said that gibbons are often perceived as “prestigious pets, attracting attention and conferring social status.” Magne also points to a growing demand from private zoos and collections owned by India’s elites as a driver for both domestic and international trade.

The cost of the rising demand for gibbons is the destruction of wild populations. Because gibbons are highly social and will defend their young to the death, the capture of a single infant often represents the annihilation of an entire family group.

Social media further amplifies trafficking by portraying gibbons as cute and manageable. This digital influence is even displacing long-standing cultural norms, such as those in Garo Hills in India’s northeast where traditional beliefs once held that harming a gibbon was a sin.

However, the reality of ownership is often grim. As gibbons reach adulthood, they become increasingly difficult to manage, leading many owners to attempt to surrender them. Returning these captive animals to the wild is difficult, requiring years of rehabilitation that is not always successful.

Susan Cheyne, vice chair of the Section on Small Apes at the IUCN, said reducing demand is “absolutely critical” for the species’ survival. While education may suffice where awareness is low, shifting social norms is necessary where gibbons are tied to status. The message, Cheyne said, should be clear: “Keep gibbons wild.”

Banner image Two hoolock gibbons in Hoollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary, India. Image by কুমুদ ঘোষ via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0).