The Gibbon Conservation Center in Saugus reported May 6 that more than $3,000 has been raised to benefit the center. The Little Ms. Rodericks Baby Shower fundraiser was held after the March 25 birth of a female born to Astrics, a Northern White Cheeked Gibbon.

“Thank you everyone for donating to Little Ms. Rodericks Baby Shower,” said Gabriella Skollar, director of the Gibbon Center. “You raised over $3,000 for this little one. This is roughly what is spent each month to feed all the gibbons at the center.”

The gibbon was named after longtime Gibbon Center supporter Chris Roderick who died last year.

Skollar sent a report to supporters of the Gibbon Center on the progress of the newest baby gibbon.

“While this little lady is a little over a month old she hasn’t yet taken her first bite of food just yet. Her skin is now almost completely dark and we can see a resemblance to her father Pierre. She looks completely different from Winkie who is now about six months old. While she stares at us intently her personality is just starting to develop. She’s a content baby and not as vocal as her older sister Anastasia. We hope you have a chance to visit and are incredibly grateful for your support. Thank you all.”

Gibbons are an endangered “lesser” ape know for their spectacular vocalizations, most often heard in the morning.

The Gibbon Center is a non-profit center to promote the conservation, study and care of gibbons through public education and habitat preservation.

The Gibbon Center was founded in 1976 by Alan Mootnick, founder and director of the Gibbon Center who died Nov. 4, 2011. The Center houses the rarest group of apes in the Western Hemisphere and is the only institution in the world to house and breed all four genera of gibbon. The Center has successfully reproduced seven gibbon species.
The Center provides consulting services to zoos, museums, government agencies such as the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and individual scientists on species identification and gibbon care.
It assists with gibbon rescue programs in Thailand, Taiwan, Vietnam and Indonesia offers educational opportunities for students of all ages.

Donations are still welcome to help feed the gibbons. Click here.

Click here to visit the Gibbon Center.

Gibbon Conservation Center, 19100 Esguerra Road, Saugus, CA 91390.

The Gibbon Center has a gift shop where you can order items to help support the center. Click here.