(Hong Kong – October 16, 2021) Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden (KFBG) will host “The Gibbon’s Life in the Treetops” exhibition from 16th to 24th October at Lee Tung Avenue, Wanchai to mark the International Gibbon Day on 24th October and raise awareness for these endangered apes of Asia’s tropical rainforests.

Gibbons are one of our closest living relatives. We share lots in common: our ability to walk upright, nimble hands, devotion to the family and even love for singing. What sets us apart is that gibbons spend all their lives high up in the treetops of towering rainforest and are known for swinging from tree to tree like acrobats. But as their forest home is replaced by towns, roads and plantations, all gibbon species are on the verge of disappearing forever.

Since 2003, KFBG has been working to pull gibbons back from the brink. In 2006, we re-discovered the Cao Vit Gibbon – thought to be extinct in China for almost half a century – along the Sino-Vietnamese border in Guangxi and facilitated the establishment of a national nature reserve. Our 18 years of tireless efforts have seen the global population of Hainan Gibbon – the world’s rarest primate – increase from 13 in 2003 to 35 at present. We also improved the protection and scientific research of the largest population of Gaoligong Gibbon in China, which is one of the world’s most endangered primates.

The upcoming “The Gibbon’s Life in the Treetops” exhibition will bring a reinvented research basecamp and rainforest to the heart of the city. Visitors will get to know everything about gibbons from their operatic song, their special behaviours, their unique family structure to their different life stages. They can also learn about the troubles faced by two endangered gibbon species and how KFBG is helping to turn the tide; and find out how urbanites can contribute to gibbon and forest conservation. Visitors can also take photographs with a three-metre-tall bamboo installation of the Gaoligong Gibbon that has been hand-weaved by local artists over a month using traditional techniques. During the weekends, there will be art workshops, documentary screening and sharing by a KFBG gibbon researcher.

We are grateful for the support from our exhibition sponsor Kakato Premium Pet Food, our venue partner Lee Tung Avenue, and our publicity sponsor The “Star” Ferry Company Limited.

Exhibition information
Date: 16 – 24/ 10/ 2021
Time: 12:00 – 19:00
Venue: Central Piazza, Lee Tung Avenue, Wanchai
Website: www.kfbg.org

Weekend Art Workshops
1. Gibbon Origami
2. Gibbon Silk Screening Tote Bag

Date: 16, 17, 23, 24/ 10/ 2021
Time: 12:00 – 15:00, 15:30 – 18:30
Venue: Central Piazza, Lee Tung Avenue, Wanchai
Registration: Walk in (Space is limited and allocated on a first-come, first-served basis)
Fee: Free

Documentary Screening and Sharing   Documentary Title: A Song for Love – An Ape with an App Speaker for Sharing: Dr Bosco Chan (Head of Kadoorie Conservation China, Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden; Member of the IUCN Primate Specialist Group) Venue: Auditorium, 1/F, Duke of Windsor Social Service Building, 15 Hennessy Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong Date: 17/10/2021 Time: 15:00–16:30 Language: English (with Simplified Chinese and English subtitles); Sharing will be conducted in Cantonese Online Registration: www.kfbg.org Fee: Free

Documentary Title: Cao Vit Gibbon’s Ark Speakers for Sharing: Dr Bosco Chan (Head of Kadoorie Conservation China, Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden; Member of the IUCN Primate Specialist Group) Venue: Auditorium, 1/F, Duke of Windsor Social Service Building, 15 Hennessy Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong Date: 24/10/2021 Time: 15:00–16:30 Language: Putonghua (with Simplified Chinese and English subtitles); Sharing will be conducted in Cantonese Online Registration: www.kfbg.org Fee: Free

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For media enquiries and interview arrangement, please contact:

Ms Hilary Su
Tel:             2483 7270
Email:        media@kfbg.org