Farewell Gibby – A Most Amazing and Resilient Gibbon!

Gibby was born the way all gibbons should be born – in the wild with a father and mother who were committed to caring for him. His life was perfect – until it wasn’t.

It’s likely that armed poachers changed everything in an instant when a bullet hit his mother. As they tumbled to the ground, Gibby clung to her body. Then Gibby, like so many other orphaned babies, was pulled from the body of his lifeless mother. This was over 66 years ago!

Sadly, this was just the beginning of a traumatic and uncertain future for this little ape. He was sent to a Bangkok dealer and then flown to an animal dealer in Florida. At the time he was probably one or two years old, as gibbons captured earlier are unlikely to survive without their mother’s care. Fed mainly rice and bananas, many of the animals die. Somehow Gibby survived this dreadful start to what was to be a very long life.

Sometime in the 1970s, Gibby was sent to the State University of New York at Stony Brook where he was used in locomotion experiments. For years he was the victim of these daily, cruel experiments that eventually became extremely hard on his little body. In 2003, Gibby was sent to a sanctuary in the Southwest. He was no longer subjected to daily experiments but living conditions were extremely harsh.

Finally in March of 2007, Gibby’s life was about to change forever. As he was put into a cage and loaded onto a truck, he must have been overcome with fear – Where was he going? Would it be worse? But something about this was different. The people seemed kind and that may have eased some of the uncertainty and fear he was feeling. After a drive of 24 hours and 1400 miles, Gibby and 11 other gibbons, who had also lived at the Texas sanctuary, arrived at IPPL. By now it is estimated that Gibby was already 49!

At long last, after almost 47 years, Gibby was about to enjoy a life better than he could have possibly imagined. In 2012 he was paired with Tong who had come from Thailand with Shirley. They were a very bonded couple until Tong’s passing nearly eight years later.

On March 13, 2024, Gibby celebrated his 66th birthday! It was the date Shirley McGreal chose after estimating his birthday year of 1958 and arriving at IPPL in March. Even after Tong was gone, this spirited senior gibbon continued to enjoy every day and was quite active on his last birthday. According to website information of other gibbons who had long lives in captivity, Gibby was likely the oldest gibbon in captivity in the world.

Gibby’s health had been declining for several months so he was diligently cared for by the Animal Care staff and our two veterinarians. He had moved into his newly refurbished gibbon house complete with special additions to make him comfortable and easier to move around. He was happy the last few days outside in the sun with his favorite keepers, all bringing him treats and cuddles. On the morning of February 11, Gibby was found unresponsive, peacefully wrapped in a blanket ~ He was gone.

Everyone is heartbroken beyond words, but we will always cherish the many memories of this resilient little gibbon who was determined to make the most of every single happy day since arriving at IPPL. And so he did! God Speed Gibby.