The Gibbon Conservation Center in Saugus will hold a Spring Open House on Saturday, May 12, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The open house provides a rare opportunity to see these small, endangered southeast Asian apes, which the conservation center protects.

Moms get in free in celebration of Mother’s Day weekend, as do children under 5. A $10 donation is requested from adults; $5 for pre-teens and seniors.

The staff and volunteers will provide tours and tell you all about the singing, swinging primates and their fascinating families. They’ve got several new ape babies, with more on the way.

Bring a sack lunch. Beverages, fruit and desserts will be available, along with face painting for the kids and souvenirs at the gift shop.

The Gibbon Conservation Center is located at 19100 Esquerra Road, just off of Bouquet Canyon Road opposite Lombardi Ranch. For information visit gibboncenter.org or call 661-296-2737.

Baby gibbon named Alan Mootnick, born 12-25-2011

About the Gibbon Conservation Center

Founded in 1976 by Alan Mootnick, the Gibbon Conservation Center is a 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing the extinction of gibbons, and to advance their study, propagation and conservation by establishing secure captive gene pools in case attempts to preserve species or subspecies in the wild fail. We provide a safe haven for all gibbon species as a complement to protecting them in the wild.  We educate the public, assist zoos and rescue centers in better captive management, encourage noninvasive behavioral studies, and support ongoing field conservation projects.