Support Ebony, Coley and Axel’s journey to freedom in the wild—your donation makes it possible!
We need to raise USD 149,330.
Every donation makes a difference.
Imagine spending years trapped in a tiny cage, deprived of the freedom to stretch your limbs, to feel the sun on your skin, unable to roam free or connect with your natural surroundings.
For Ebony and Coley, this was their reality. Stolen from the wild, they endured years of isolation, neglect, physical and emotional abuse.
Rehabilitating gibbons is a lengthy, complex, and costly process that often spans between 5 and 15 years. For Ebony, Coley, and Axel, the time has come to take the final steps towards freedom, and we need your help
to make it happen!
This is the heartbreaking reality for many gibbons in Malaysia. But today, you can help change that.
We need $149,330 to cover the essential expenses for the family’s pre-release monitoring, release preparations, post-release monitoring, and the salaries for four Indigenous rangers who will monitor the family in the wild for 24 months.
Jump to a specific section:
> Your Impact
> What Will Your Donation Support?
> Ways to Donate
Your Impact
When Coley arrived at our center, his future seemed bleak. Malnourished and abused as a pet, he couldn’t swing or climb like a wild gibbon, and often fell trying. Traumatized, he even plucked his own hair. Ebony’s story was just as heartbreaking—years of neglect left her confined to a tiny basket, scarred both mentally and physically. But then, something incredible happened. Slowly, with proper rehabilitation, both Ebony and Coley began to heal. Coley’s weak muscles grew stronger, and soon he was swinging effortlessly across his enclosure. For the first time in his life, he could move freely. Ebony, though still carrying the emotional scars of her past, found comfort in Coley. Against all odds, the two formed a bond, and that bond became a family.
Ebony's Story
Ebony’s has also had a troubled past. Being confined to a tiny basket as a pet caused her to develop severe stereotypical behaviours that she has to this day. However, Ebony’s outlook took a positive turn in 2022 when she found a loving companion in Coley, and they became a mating pair. Now, with the birth of their baby Axel, a new chapter unfolds in their journey – and it couldn’t have happened at a more fitting time, coinciding with GCS’s tenth anniversary.
Axel's story
In 2023, their baby Axel was born—the first gibbon ever born in a Malaysian rehabilitation center. Axel represents everything we work for: a new beginning, a future where gibbons no longer face the horrors of captivity and exploitation.
Axel’s birth marks a turning point, not just for this little family, but for the entire gibbon species in Malaysia. Axel’s first breath was a breath of hope–proof that rehabilitation works and that these incredible primates can have a second chance at life.
By supporting this release, you’re not just helping three gibbons—you’re playing a crucial role in the conservation of a critically endangered species and co-creating a sustainable future for indigenous communities.
Along with ensuring Ebony, Coley, and Axel’s successful return to the wild, we are dedicated to empowering Indigenous communities. Through training and job opportunities, we will equip them to become rangers and nature guides, offering alternative, sustainable incomes through eco-edu tourism programs that protect wildlife and promote environmental stewardship.
What Will Your Donation Support?
This release will follow the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Best Practice Guidelines for Translocation and Release, a globally recognized standard to ensure the success and safety of wildlife returning to their natural habitats.
- Upkeep of Ebony, Coley and Axel in the jungle (up to 24 months).
- Veterinary Check & Other Logistical Equipment
- Fuel
- Release Site Survey
- 2 Primate Satellite Band for Gibbon Tracking
-
Community Outreach Programs
- Capacity Building for Indigenous Rangers: For learning release, monitoring, and data collection (since it’s the first-time release to avoid mistakes).
- Staff Salaries (USD 475 x 6 pax): Local and Indigenous staff hired to monitor the gibbons in the jungle until the birth of the second child.
- Supplies for Staff (USD 57 x 6 pax): Food, medicine and other perishables.
- GPS – Garmin GPSMap 66SR Tracking Handheld
- 2 Satellite Phones
- Toyota Hilux 4×4 Double Cab
- Temporary Enclosure
Ways to Donate
Support this cause through our Ko-Fi fundraiser:
or make a direct transfer:
BANK TRANSFER | CHEQUE
Maybank (Petaling Jaya Section 14)
Account Name: Gibbon Conservation Society
Account Number: 562339408187
Swift Code: MBBEMYKL
Your donation today will transform lives—both human and gibbon. Help us create a future where they can live wild and free.