Malaysia's first-ever gibbon baby born in rehab project; named 'Axel' after 'Guns N' Roses' singer

KUALA LUMPUR, July 31 — Malaysia made history with the birth of the first-ever gibbon baby at a rehabilitation centre here under the non-profit organisation Gibbon Conservation Society (GCS), with GCS’s royal patron naming the baby “Axel” after the American rock band “Guns N’ Roses” lead singer.

In an announcement today, GCS said the male White-Handed Gibbon baby was born on the evening of June 29 (Hari Raya Haji) to parents Ebony and Coley at the Malaya Gibbon Rehabilitation Project (Malaya GReP) in Raub, Pahang.

GCS said Axel’s birth marks a historic milestone as it will pave the way for Axel’s parents — who were themselves rescued as infants — to be released back to the wild.

Mariani Ramli, the president and founder of GCS who started the project in 2013 with her own savings, reflected on how far Axel’s parents have come along since being rescued as victims of the rampant illegal wildlife trade in Malaysia. Poachers would have typically killed gibbon babies’ parents and siblings to capture them.

“Ebony and Coley have had such long and hard journeys. Their families were killed when they were just babies. Now to see them create a new family, it’s the most amazing and fulfilling thing. I am so grateful that we(GCS) have been able to help them along this journey,” said Mariani, who is better known as Bam.

Axel is shown here with parents Ebony and Coley. GCS said that Axel's birth is a historic milestone as it will pave the way for Axel's parents to be released back to the wild. — Picture courtesy of Stephanie Theresa, Infinim Creative Productions / Gibbon Conservation Society

According to GCS, Axel’s mother Ebony was often kept in a small basket to “keep her out of trouble” when she was a pet prior to her rescue, and which caused her to develop severe stereotypic behaviour or to physically express her psychological trauma. Her behaviours reduced drastically when fellow rescued gibbon Bella was with her at GCS as her surrogate sister, but increased again when Bella was taken from GCS in 2020 by the Wildlife and National Parks Department amid a dispute. Ebony found a new companion in the form of Coley in 2022.

GCS said Coley had very weak hands and feet when he first arrived at the rehabilitation centre and would fall every time he tried to climb or swing — which is typical of gibbons kept as pets in tiny cages that causes them to have stunted growth and weak muscles. GCS said Coley has since regained muscle strength and is active, playful and loves wrestling with his friends.

“When playing, he shows off with males but becomes softer with females and even lets them win. That’s how he conquered Ebony’s heart, and successfully became her mate,” GCS said, adding that a gibbon pregnancy usually lasts around seven months.

According to GCS, Axel’s birth is a long-awaited occasion, noting that rehabilitation for gibbons takes a long time of between five to 15 years, and that the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) guidelines states that gibbons must be in a family unit (father, mother and baby) when released back to the wild and with GCS saying that this is required for a good chance of survival.

“After 10 years of operations and countless struggles, Axel’s birth marks a huge milestone not only for GCS but also for gibbon conservation in Malaysia,” GCS said.

“It has been a hard journey for GCS to get to this stage, and Axel’s birth brings us very close to our first ever release. This release will also be the first-ever release of gibbon via rehabilitation in Malaysia.

“Statistics show that more than 90 per cent of wildlife released without proper rehabilitation will die in the wild. This makes Ebony, Coley and Axel’s success even more crucial.

“Over the next six months, the family will be monitored closely to ensure they are capable of functioning as a proper family unit and if all goes well, their release process will start at the beginning of next year,” GCS said, highlighting the importance of gibbons as “forest farmers” as they act as seed dispersers for many forest tree species.

According to GCS, Axel is healthy and being looked after by his parents — with Ebony being especially doting, with both gibbon parents currently playing their roles well in caring for the baby together — just like gibbons in the wild.

GCS founder Mariani 'Bam' Ramli addresses personnel from various government departments during an early July visit by Pahang royalty — including GCS's royal patron — to the rehabilitation centre where Axel was born. — Picture courtesy of Gibbon Conservation Society

“We hope this family will be our first successful gibbon reintroduction in Malaysia. We are hugely excited for the upcoming events ahead of GCS and we want to express our gratitude to everyone who has supported our journey as well as Ebony and Coley journeys so far,” Bam said.

GCS said the public can support this gibbon family’s transition into the wild by symbolically adopting Ebony or Coley or both through the organisation’s website.

In early July, the Pahang Sultan’s second son Tengku Arif Bendahara Muhammad Iskandar Ri’ayatuddin Shah Sultan Abdullah became GCS’s official royal patron and was also able to visit the then-week-old gibbon baby.

In early July, the Pahang Sultan’s second son Tengku Arif Bendahara Muhammad Iskandar Ri’ayatuddin Shah Sultan Abdullah (pic) who became GCS’s official royal patron gave a speech during his visit to Malaya GReP where he was able to see then-week-old gibbon baby Axel. — Picture courtesy of Gibbon Conservation Society

“I am so excited about Axel’s birth, I just joined the society and to be part of this milestone is incredible. I am honoured to get to name the baby. I named him Axel after the lead vocalist of Guns N’ Roses because gibbons are the singers and rockstars of our Malaysian forests and I can’t wait to see him rock out, with his family, as wild and free gibbons,” he was quoted saying in GCS’s statement.

In a letter dated July 5, the Pahang prince accepted GCS’s offer to be its royal patron, where he said he was thrilled to be a part of GCS and to contribute in conserving the gibbons, which are an endangered species, for a “better future for Malaysia’s Singing Apes.”

Pahang Sultan’s second son Tengku Arif Bendahara Muhammad Iskandar Ri’ayatuddin Shah Sultan Abdullah (right) feeding the gibbons at GCS. — Picture courtesy of Gibbon Conservation Society

GCS said the Pahang prince and several other members of the Pahang royal family had in their early July visit to GCS’s project site Malaya GReP participated in the daily work there including preparing food for the gibbons and also learnt about GCS’s standard operating procedures and the rehabilitation process.

“During the visit, YAM Tengku Muhammad Iskandar, in the presence of most of the Pahang government departments, gave a short speech to commemorate his patronage. In his speech he encouraged everyone to play a role in conservation and environmental protection before more people become affected,” GCS said.