As we approach the end of 2024, we are wrapping up several big projects and planning new ones. Although we are currently tackling an issue with a faulty well, there is some good news to share as well.

Before the year ends, I’d like to reflect on all the experiences that made this year memorable and sometimes chaotic. Early this year, we rebuilt Phy Gyi’s family enclosure. Since then, we have also completed several enclosure repairs and made plans to reconstruct Perak’s enclosure.

Hercules is 12 years old. As the only offspring of Perak and Simpang, they still allow him to stay. But we are mindful of changing family dynamics and to give Hercules more privacy, we want to expand their living space.

We also made progress on Rocky’s House. If you remember, Rocky is an infant Javan gibbon. His mother rejected him at birth and the Gibbon Conservation Center staff has been hand-rearing him. We plan to build a small insulated house to transition him to live outside full time and socialize him with other gibbons. This house will provide a safe and comfortable space for Rocky to play, nap and spend the night, especially during the first few years. Thanks to your generous support, we have raised over $14,000. However, we are still fundraising to reach our goal of $20,000. We are about to purchase the structure, which we will modify to include insulation, climate control and climbing structures tailored for Rocky. To help make these necessary modifications for his house, you can donate t this link: Rocky’s House.

We provide heated platforms for the gibbons in winter to keep them comfortable in the colder weather. Earlier this month, we brought electricity closer to several enclosures, making heating more accessible. Next year, in addition to continuing repairs on enclosures and completing the mentioned projects, we plan to purchase more branches to provide the gibbons with additional opportunities to practice their natural locomotion of brachiation and to utilize their enclosure space better.

As a small organization, we handle all our work in-house, with one key staff member, Jesse, taking on most responsibilities. Hiring additional staff to support Jesse would be incredibly beneficial to expedite project completion and increase our capacity for our ongoing improvements at the Gibbon Center, including improving enclosures and addressing unexpected repairs.

We made progress on the education front as well. We received funding from the city of Santa Clarita for interactive signs and are currently consulting with a company on different design options. Additionally, we secured grants from two foundations for our Field Trip Scholarship, which enables us to host students from schools that cannot afford entrance fees and provide sponsorship for school buses to bring more students to the Gibbon Conservation Center.

We are excited to announce plans for a new building dedicated to exploring gibbons fascinating anatomy. Although this project is only in the planning stage, Jodi, who initiated the idea, has already set up a Bone Shack, a mini version. During the weekend tours, you can meet her and learn more about the education center, which will feature detailed anatomical models, presentations and hands-on activities to educate the public about the unique adaptations that enable gibbons to thrive in their arboreal habitats.

Through these resources, visitors will gain a deeper appreciation for the biomechanics of gibbon movement, their vocal structures and the evolutionary traits that set them apart from other primates. As our organization grows, I see opportunities for corporations to sponsor unique projects, whether they involve construction and improvements for the gibbons or educational initiatives. If you are interested in participating, please reach out. To contact the Gibbon Consercation Center call (661) 296-2737 or email Info@gibboncenter.org.

It is essential for a small conservation organization like ours to stay involved with a broader network of conservation and zoo professionals. Alma and Jesse attended the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Conference in September, connected with other colleagues in the field and brought back ideas that can be utilized at the Gibbon Conservation Center.

In December, I reviewed the AZA Gibbon Animal Care Manual and was asked to assist in updating the IUCN Best Practice Gibbon Guidelines in Infant Care. I am continuing my PhD studies at the UCLA Communication Department. Over the past year, I have been busy digitalizing and organizing my archive recordings, preparing for analysis and learning various acoustic analysis methods.

This year, my goal is to present my research on the vocal repertoire of hoolock gibbons at conferences and in publications. We also started another project on vocal development and infant-directed communication of white-cheeked gibbons. With a recent birth at the center, I have a fantastic opportunity to observe and record a family of white-cheeked gibbons at the Gibbon Conservation Center.

I want to introduce our newest northern white-cheeked gibbon, born to Pierre and Astriks on Dec. 14. Northern white-cheeked gibbons are critically endangered and our understanding of their vocalizations is limited.

Thank you for being an essential part of our journey and for your unwavering support throughout this year. Because of your generosity, we have made significant progress on our projects, in spite of new challenges and continued to care for our gibbons. As we enter 2025 with ambitious plans and a strong commitment to conservation and education, we kindly ask for your continued support, 2025 also marks my 20th year at the Gibbon Consercation Center.

To celebrate this milestone and help us continue our work, I invite you to help us raise $20,000 by Jan. 30 for our operations. Together, we can create a brighter future for gibbons and foster a greater appreciation for these remarkable primates.

From all of us at the Gibbon Conservation Center, we wish you a happy New Year!

Please donate here.

For more information bout gibbons and to learn how to visit the Gibbon Conservation Center off Bouquet Canyon Road in Saugus visit www.gibboncenter.org.

Gabriella Skollar is the director of the nonprofit 501(C)(3) Gibbon Conservation Center in Saugus. She has been working for the Gibbon Conservation Center since 2005. She graduated in 2004 with a Master’s degree in Biology at the University of Szeged, in Hungary. She first became involved with gibbons when her University adviser asked her to record Kaszat, a northern white-cheeked gibbon in the Szeged Zoo. After many hours of early morning recording and observation, it became her passion to study gibbon vocalization. Skollar moved to the United States in 2005 to work as a volunteer caregiver and researcher at the Gibbon Conservation Center under the direction of founder Alan Mootnick, initially supported by the Rosztoczy Scholarship. In 2007, she became a full-time Primate Caregiver and Research Assistant. In November 2011, after the death of Mootnick, she became responsible for the day-to-day care and health of the gibbons and the supervision of other caregivers, maintenance staff and volunteers. In 2014, Skollar became the director of the Gibbon Conservation Center which houses the rarest group of apes in the Western Hemisphere. It is the only institution in the world to house and breed all four genera of gibbon.