The Gibbon Conservation Center. 19100 Esguerra Rd., Santa Clarita, CA 91390. (click to view)
I wanted to paint this to help bring awareness to the plight of these Asian apes and the hard work and determination of everyone at the Gibbon Conservation Center. It is absolutely amazing that this sanctuary has such a profound and global effect on the preservation of these animals. I used photo-references of Khusus, Shelby, and baby Winston and portrayed them in a natural setting. I chose the Javan Gibbons because they are the most threatened species of gibbon. They have been listed on the Critically Endangered Species List since 1996 due to deforestation, loss of habitat, and industrial encroachment on the Island of Java. It is estimated that there are fewer than 2,500 mature individuals living in the wild. The Gibbon Conservation Center is a nonprofit center for the study, preservation, and propagation of these highly endangered primates.
Mission
The mission of the Gibbon Conservation Center is to prevent the extinction of this small Asian ape, and to advance its 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.
Company Overview
The Gibbon Conservation Center was founded in 1976 in Santa Clarita, California, USA, by Alan Richard Mootnick. It is the only facility in the world devoted exclusively to gibbons, an increasingly rare ape. We work for the endangered gibbons' benefit through conservation, propagation and study, and by teaching people about them. GCC houses, on average, 40 gibbons, among them 5 of the 17 living species:
Nomascus l. leucogenys (northern white-cheeked gibbon)
Hylobates pileatus (pileated gibbon)
Symphalangus syndactylus (siamang)
Hoolock leuconedys (eastern hoolock gibbon)
Hylobates moloch(Javan gibbon)