Signs of hope for a species the world thought was extinct!
7th Mar 2025
Our charity is honoured to share an update on our support into the conservation of the cao vit gibbon, the world’s second rarest ape. This discovery is the result of dedicated efforts by Fauna & Flora, a global conservation organisation committed to protecting endangered species in collaboration with the zoo...
Conservationists are celebrating new hope for the cao vit gibbon after an infant was spotted during a field patrol survey in the remote forests of Cao Bang, Vietnam. The cao vit gibbon is the world’s second rarest ape, thought to be extinct until it was rediscovered by Fauna & Flora staff in 2002. Its current population is estimated at just 74 individuals in 11 family groups.
In 2024, two cao vit gibbon infant sightings were recorded by the local cao vit gibbon community conservation team, a community-based group which Fauna & Flora has supported to conduct forest patrols and increase local participation in conservation. The most recent sighting, in November 2024, follows the recording of another newborn in February 2024, which shows positive signs of population development.
Nguyen Duc Tho, Fauna & Flora’s cao vit gibbon project manager and part of the gibbon conservation team, comments: “We were very excited to spot another infant cao vit gibbon during our regular patrolling. This was the smallest baby gibbon I had ever seen and seeing it reminded me of my own children as babies being cared for by my wife. This is amazing and an encouraging sign of hope for the species’ population, which is currently very low, and highlights the critical importance of long-term-ongoing monitoring and conservation efforts in Cao Bang.”
Fauna & Flora has been working to protect cao vit gibbons for over 20 years, operating in two key protected areas to safeguard the gibbons from poaching and habitat loss, and to conduct long-term monitoring and research. The charity’s regional staff works alongside local communities and rangers to implement conservation activity and provide sustainable livelihood support.
For more information on this amazing story please visit: https://www.fauna-flora.org/news/babies-treetops-newborn-cao-vit-gibbons/
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