EAST supports the rescue, rehabilitation and conservation of Asian wildlife species both in situ and ex-situ. In Asia the first project is the Dao Tien Endangered Primate Species Centre, founded in 2008 in Cat Tien National Park, South Vietnam. The centre's staff work with the Forestry Protection Department of Vietnam to cease the illegal trade in endangered primates.

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Dao Tien Updates 2010

Update December 2010 

 

  • Da, Lat and her baby boy have had three weeks access to the trees, after over 9 years in the cage.  From day one Da was a natural, but Lat did not follow him out.  With her baby and her injured knee, the normally very confident Lat has just stayed in the cage.  At first Da would go out into the trees and then dash back in to give Lat an encouraging hug, but slowly this has become less frequent.  In the end we decided to help Lat, instead of having to navigate a tunnel between the cage and the trees (which was frightening her) we decided to gently run her into a box and carry her into the trees.  The transfer all went very smooth and Lat, when placed in the semi-free area, climbed to the top of the nearest tree and started to call, reclaiming her dominant female position amongst all the gibbons on Dao Tien.  At last Lat as we knew her was back!  Day by day she is using her injured leg to climb and we now hope for a full recovery.  Her brave baby that was trying to climb off mum in the cage now clings on tight as mum swings through the trees.
 
Lat and baby in the trees "The Cu Li pad"
 
  • Dao Tien runs daily educational tours where you can see the centre's rehabilitation work.  In the past this has normally involved a walk under a hot sun, with little shelter.  Now we have built a beautiful sheltered area "The Cu Li pad" where you can read up on primate facts, drink coffee and support our work by buying our bespoke EAST merchandise.  "The Cu Li pad" also functions as a small classroom, able to accommodate groups of 25 for presentations and activities.  We would like to especially thank Annie Magyar (and family) for the kind donation of a projector to bring this education area to life.

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  • On behalf of the Dao Tien team we would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Good New Year.
 

The Dao Tien team celebrating Christmas
 

Update November 2010
 

  • Lat gave birth on the 24th November to a healthy little boy.  This is our first birth on Dao Tien, although this is Lat's second baby: she gave birth to an infant before she was rescued which the ex owners said did not survive.  Lat is proving to be a natural mum, very calm and content.  Equally Da the father, knows to keep his distance and protect his lady.  This has delayed our plans to put Lat and Da in the semi-free, so she can climb trees and perform some natural physio on her injured knee, which is going a little stiff.  As soon as we think mum and baby are ready, we wil carry on trying to get them back into the trees.
 

Lat and baby

 
Update October 2010

 

  • Gibbons Uh (meaning "thin") and Teo (meaning "not so thin") were rescued from Bien Hoa.  The two young gibbons were voluntarily given to the project, after the Vietnamese owners had heard of the work of Dao Tien and realised that gibbons belong in the forest.  The male Teo is very special as he has a twisted rib cage giving him a hunchback.  Because of this his ex-owners had given him special treatment resulting in a very gentle young gibbon, he even had a red comfort blanket.  Although he looks a little odd, Uli our veterinarian on health checks gave him a clean bill of health, moving well in the cage.  We hope that trees will be no problem for him in the future.
   

Uh and Teo
 
  • Lots of the gibbons that we have rescued are growing up now, especially Dao who was one of the first gibbons we rescued back in 2007 (even before the centre was complete), after having been kept in solitary she used to wrap her leg around her body, to imitate the feeling of a hug from mum.  Dao is now maturing into a beautiful young female, no longer black but a mix of grey and blonde.  She is one of the gentlest gibbons, normally found playing at the top of the cage with young male Khoi.  Reaching sexual maturity is a time for young gibbons to leave home, so Dao will be moved into trees soon for her final training.
 
Dao when rescued Dao just finishing her colour change

  • This month we started teaching classes on conservation in one of the high schools local to Cat Tien National Park.  These classes cover a range of topics relevant to Vietnam including the problems of the illegal wildlife trade, the dangers of destroying the forests, and wild animals as pets.  These classes are taught in English, with support from English speaking Vietnamese teachers, so they also serve to help the students with their English language skills.  If these lessons prove to be a success, we hope to roll them out into other schools in the local community.

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  • Now the peak of the rainy season the forest is growing fast, which means our staff are kept busy caring for the animals and maintaining our new fence lines for the two semi-forested enclosures.  Hard and hot work!
 

K Hoai, Thanh and Ngoan after an afternoon maintaining the fence line


Update September 2010
 

  • This month Lat, a female gibbon at Dao Tien, took a fall whilst swinging in her enclosure.  We were all very concerned as she damaged her right leg and was not able to use it at all initially, staying up high and not daring to move.  After veterinary consultation it was a case of being patient and seeing how Lat behaved, if it was a break, splints are not often successful in primates that pull bandages off.  Lat turned out to be a very sensible gibbon; she rested her leg, she took things very carefully and day-by-day she has been improving.  Falls and breaks are common in wild gibbons, particularly in youngsters who are still learning.  It is the nature of their life in the trees that once in a while a branch will not be able to hold their weight and it breaks. 

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  • Merry and Lee Lee are still doing well in the semi-free enclosure on Dao Tien.  This month we have been making trips down to the enclosure's perimeter fence line in the mornings and evenings to see where they go, finding them by using the signals from their radio collars.  We are happy to report that they are singing together in the mornings and sleeping in neighboring trees at night.  This enforces how good a pair bond they are, and we are confident this will continue when they make their next step into the wild.

Update August 2010
 

  • Experience gained from the previous loris release has indicated that, although small, these primates require greater rehabilitation than initially thought.  To help with rehabilitation, a large section of trees has been prepared for the loris, where they can be monitored before release.
     
  • Professor Pei from Pingtung visited Dao Tien, to look at the preparations for this new loris semi-free forest.
     
  • Dao Tien would especially like to thank Keepers Chin and White from Pingtung for working so hard with Dao Tien staff to complete the new loris semi-free.

Professor Pei and Lee designing Loris semi-free Ching and White from Pingtung helping out on Dao Tien
 
  • Hai, a young female loris, now has the chance to practice her skills in the forested semi-free in preparation for full release in the wet season.  Hai was released at the start of the year, but was returned to Dao Tien because she was unable to find sufficient food and water in the dry season. 
 
New loris rehabilitation semi-free forested area
 Hai in semi-free forest

  • Lee Lee, the male gibbon in the 20 ha semi-free, appears to be de-habituating to humans, not responding to Dao Tien staff.   
     
  • The two doucs rescued in May are regularly seen free on the island, with the juvenile often seen off mum.  They have not yet been seen with the other douc, Chinh and Thanh.
     
  • New bespoke golden-cheeked gibbon teddies have been put on sale to fundraise for Merry and Lee Lee's GPS collars. Go to the EAST shop to see them.

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Update July 2010
  

  • Merry and Lee Lee - the two gibbons in the final stage of their rehabilitation - are now in their fourth month within the 20ha semi-free forest and are finally starting to travel around and explore.  For the first few months, the male stayed very close to the release cage. 
     
  • Funding has been obtained with thanks to Lush Charity Pot, for the building of a loris semi-free to encourage better sleep site selection prior to final release.
     
  • All four douc released on the island have been seen within the last month, healthy and well. The two new douc however, have not yet been seen near Chinh and Thanh.
     
  • The wild gibbon habituation team working in Cat Tien National Park led by Vo Thanh Binh, with volunteer support from Katarzyna Ganszczyk and Carla Welpelo, after 19 months of hard work have succeeded in habituating the family group of gibbons next to headquarters, for research and education awareness.  This is the result of 19 months of hard work.

Lee Lee reluctant to leave the familiarity of the release cage