Gibbon Conservation Center
A nonprofit center for the study, preservation, and propagation of highly endangered species

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About GCC

The Gibbon Conservation Center was founded in 1976 in southern 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 nearly 40 gibbons, among them 5 of the 15 living species:

photo by R. Agha  
Alan at GCC


Views of the Gibbon Conservation Center grounds.


GCC's shady picnic area during a talk by
Dr. Ulrich Reichard,
of the Department of Primatology at
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology,
Leipzig, Germany.

   GCC specializes in behavioral studies on gibbons, collected by students, scientists and volunteers working at the Center. Several mated pairs have produced offspring, making an important contribution to the world's captive gibbon population, both in terms of numbers and in the genetic diversity of the species.  Offspring are housed at the Center in species-typical family units until they reach adulthood. At that time, they are removed from the family and housed with a mate, which imitates what normally happens in the wild. 
   GCC also offers advice, free of charge, to zoos, government agencies and gibbon rescue centers throughout the world. A portion of donations received by GCC is given to projects devoted to the conservation of wild gibbon populations, especially those in Java, India, Kalimantan, China and Vietnam. The Hainan black-crested gibbon (Nomascus sp. cf. nasutus hainanus), found only on Hainan Island off the coast of China, is considered to be the most endangered known primate. There are approximately 20 individuals left on the island!  Also nearly extinct is the Eastern black-crested gibbon (Nomascus sp. cf. nasutus nasutus), of NE Vietnam, east of the Red River.  There are also approximately 20 of these gibbons left, making these two gibbons the rarest primates on earth.
   Please visit us for
educational tours by appointment at GCC.  We welcome students and other groups who are interested in learning about these fascinating apes. Tour information is available at gibboncenter@earthlink.net or by phoning 661-296-2737 (9 AM-8 PM Pacific Time).  
   GCC is an institutional member of SEAZA (South East Asian Zoo Association).

Contact Us

General Information
phone (9am to 8pm Pacific Time): 661-296-2737
Email:
gibboncenter@earthlink.net
FAX: 661-296-1237

Volunteer Information
Email: gibboncenter@earthlink.net

Mailing Address:
GCC
P.O. Box 800249
Santa Clarita, CA 91380 USA

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