Gibbons Rehabilitation Project, Ban ra wai (1)

My boyfriend and I visited the GRP in Phuket during two weeks travelling around Lao and Thailand (13th Nov to 27th Nov 2004). I think the project is a fantastic cause. There are stories which are placed around the centre about how each of the gibbons were kept captive, how they were rescued and what their chances are of going back to the wild. These stories were very touching. A few days before visiting the GRP we had gone on a day trip and stopped off at a Buddist Fishing Village where we saw a baby gibbon. He was being used by his owner to tempt tourists in to holding him while having a photo taken, "of course" at a cost. After seeing this and then visiting the GRP I was left with a feeling of anger that this was happening. I knew that I couldn't judge others for the way they make a living but I was shocked and upset at the amount of tourists who only saw what was in front of them with excitment, had their picture taken and didn't think about how the gibbon had been taken from the wild and in the process probably killing it's mother and other gibbons too. Locals will do anything possible to make money so if they know that the tourists will keep paying them money to have their pictures taken with a gibbon then the more gibbons they will take from the wild. If you are visiting Phuket, Thailand and are thinking of places to visit then the Gibbon Project is a good choice. I'm sure it's a place that will also touch you.