White-handed gibbon  (Hylobates lar)

Rapid loss of habitat poses the principle threat to gibbons, placing their future in great peril (3) (8). With breathtaking speed the forests of Southeast Asia are being cut down due to logging and agriculture, leaving forest inhabitants an ever smaller region in which to live. This species is sometimes hunted for its meat (8) and the capture of young gibbons for the pet trade is rampant in some countries, particularly Thailand (5). Frequently the mother is shot so that the young can be taken (5).

The white-handed gibbon is protected from international trade by its listing on Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) (4). Other efforts are being made to save these primates, such as national parks and reserves, but they are not terribly effective as they are often poorly supervised and laws against capture un-enforced (8). The highest priority in protecting this primate must be given to preserving adequate areas of suitable habitat (3). Action is required now if we are to prevent this agile and intelligent lesser ape from becoming more critically endangered.