Baby boom: The endangered wildlife revival at Cambodia’s Angkor Wat

SIEM REAP, Cambodia — The melodic songs from families of endangered monkeys ring out over the jungle near Cambodia’s Angkor Wat temple complex — a sign of ecological rejuvenation decades after hunting decimated wildlife at the site. The first pair of rare pileated gibbons were released in 2013 as part of a joint programme between conservation group Wildlife Alliance, the forestry administration and the Apsara Authority — a government agency that manages the 12th-century ruins.

The gibbon duo, named Baray and Saranick, were born from parents rescued from the wildlife trade and produced offspring a year later. “We have now released four different pairs of gibbons within the Angkor forest and they have gone on to breed and now seven babies have been born,” Wildlife Alliance Rescue and Care Programme Director Nick Marx told AFP. “We are restoring Cambodia’s natural heritage back into their most beautiful cultural heritage.”

Globally, gibbons are one of the most threatened families of primates, while the pileated gibbon is listed as endangered.  Marx says his team rescues some 2,000 animals a year and many more will soon call the Angkor jungle home. There are hopes that once the baby gibbons reach sexual maturity in about five to eight years, they will also pair up and mate.

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