Ahimsa

Ahimsa, whose name is Sanskrit for “non-violence towards all living beings”, is the first child of IPPL’s first rescued lab gibbon, Arun Rangsi. His mother is also an ex-lab gibbon named Shanti. Despite being denied a normal life in the laboratories where they were born, Shanti and Arun Rangsi turned out to be excellent parents. Shanti carried Ahimsa around everywhere and would often show him off to the animal care staff when he was a baby.

After reaching sexual maturity, Ahimsa was paired with Elizabeth, who came to IPPL from a tourist attraction in Silver Springs, Florida in 1985. The two got along very well for many years. In early 2021, Elizabeth died. Since then, Ahimsa continues to enjoy being pampered. Despite easy access to the grape vines growing around his aerial runway, he prefers to wait for the animal care staff to pick the grapes and then holds his hands out, shaking them excitedly hoping for an easy treat. We make sure that Ahimsa continues to be a happy gibbon.