Within a thatched, Asian-style hut made from recycled timber, visitors can see into the world of the Silvery Gibbon.

Swinging from branch to branch with amazing agility and speed, this exhibit is the perfect place to see these critically endangered primates. Silvery Gibbons are native to the tropical rainforests of Java but have lost around 98% of their natural habitat. With a human population of 108 million, the pressure on their survival is extreme. It is estimated that there are only 400 – 2000 Silvery Gibbons left in the wild.

Perth Zoo has one of only six breeding pairs of Silvery Gibbons outside Indonesia and together they have produced several offspring. The Zoo aims to secure a second pair so it can breed male and female offspring from unrelated parents and help other zoos establish breeding programs. Perth Zoo is playing a crucial role in the conservation of the Silvery Gibbon.

The exhibit itself is particularly important for the Zoo, as it marks the end of an era of keeping animals in small concrete cages when it replaced the old concrete primate exhibits known as Gibbon Row.

Perth Zoo hopes that the Silvery Gibbon Exhibit will provide visitors with the chance to see Silvery Gibbons as they would be in the wild, and that this will help people to understand the importance of protecting this species from the threats that human population pressures are placing upon the wild populations.