Source::AFP
Captivating sounds of endangered monkeys can be heard resonating across the jungle near Cambodia's Angkor Wat temple as a sign of ecological restoration decades after hunting wiped off the local animals.
The first pair of rare pileated gibbons was released in 2013 in collaborative operation between the forestry administration, the Apsara Authority—a government organisation that supervises the 12th-century remnants, and a conservation group named Wildlife Alliance.
The Baray and Saranick gibbon pair was born from parents salvaged from the wildlife trade, and they conceived offspring a year later.
Wildlife Alliance rescue and care programme director Nick Marx said, "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.” He added, "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.
