Meet The Gibbons At Mae Sot

August 18, 2017

The Green Lion

Up in the north of Thailand, right next to the Burmese border, lies a place hidden behind the trees. You can only guess it’s purpose from the songs that reach the road, sounding somewhat like a car alarm. This place is gibbon heaven.

It’s a sanctuary is home to 76 gibbons, 21 macaques, a Bearcat, a jackal and even a fat bear. The upkeep of all these animals takes a lot of time.

Each animal has a different story and very specific characteristics. One likes love and attention, while the next likes to pull your hair. Another holds your finger with her foot and tightens her grip when she thinks you’re about to leave her. Who knew Gibbons have such strong personalities. So without further ado, meet a few of its favorite rock stars.

George

Ask anyone and they’ll tell you: George is the star of the sanctuary. It’s because of his winning personality and cuddle addiction, but also for a more unfortunate reason. He’s had a rough life. When he was still a little Georgie, he fell on the left part of his skull, leaving him paralyzed on the right side of his body. It likely happened falling down a tree when being captured in the wild with his mother, which is common practice. Years later, a bear bit off half of his last good arm. He also regularly experiences epileptic seizures. Like I said: rough.

What George lacks in mobility, he makes up for in love. If he likes you, he’ll say hi with a soft little hoo hoo. He’s the only gibbon where us ‘amateurs’ can freely enter the enclosure. Take a seat on his bench. If he’s in a cuddly mood (which is almost non-stop), he’ll hop on the seat next to you. Then, he’ll flop his entire body weight against your hip without warning and leans his arm on your leg in the form of a hug. Now you can cuddle his fluff and stroke his belly until eternity. The rest of the day, he spends observing people that walk by and pressing his back against the side as a quiet gesture of “I’m ready for a back rub”.

Noi

This guy takes cuddle time to a next level. He will let almost any stranger give him backrubs. The second that you stop, he’ll turn around and taps his shoulder to tell that he’s not finished with you yet. If you get tired of rubbing, he’ll compromise and holds hands with you. Anything for some TLC. Noi will get jealous when you give his neighbour Roger any attention and sometimes throws a fit.

Roger

Roger’s mom rejected him at birth. He’s been hand raised inside the house ever since by the owner of the gibbon sanctuary. He’s very gentle and friendly. He enjoys a backrub as much as the next one, but has more patience than Noi. He’ll wait his turn, then presses his round belly against the enclosure for a good scratching. He seems pretty good at ignoring Noi’s jealous tantrums and just sits there chilling, observing you.

Jerry

This massive ball of fluff is a massive ball of fluff for a not so fun reason. His previous owner was in the military and kicked our little Jerry in the back with his metal pointed boots. The gibbon’s spine is now completely grown in directions it shouldn’t be. The spinal deviation makes him look fat, though he is not. He’s just vertically challenged. Jerry isn’t keen on middle aged men these days, but he sure loves a back rub from the girls. He’s a gentle sweetheart and gladly swings to the side to come greet you with a few soft ‘hoo hoo’s’.

Paket

This white handed gibbon serves as a reminder that not everything that looks cute, is good for a cuddle. Paket was kept at a resort on Koh Tao, until she started to sign every morning. The guests didn’t appreciate an early alarm when they’re hungover and she was brought to the Gibbon Sanctuary.
She has a very sweet face and will stick out her arm if you walk past. That’s normally a sign that you can hold their hand (or give food). But this one plays mind games on you; if you touch her hand, she’ll grab yours and shakes it fast, making you startle. The little sadist.

Sompis

The salon for beginners. Don’t let the big beard fool you; this macaque is a female. She’s just too busy grooming other people, to bother shaving her own beard. Simply stick your arm out or present your head and she’ll pick the tiniest of dead skin off (or do you have some lice for her?). She doesn’t eat them, but makes noises pretending she does. Sompis grooms you with such a gentle touch, that it feels like a soft massage.

Wasina

The salon for adventurers. This macaque will give you a proper Thai massage. Wasina broke her arm when she fell out of a tree with her mother, while being captured in the wild. Luckily the injury didn’t leave permanent damage and she’ll proudly show you how well her arms are healed. Present her your arm or head, and she’ll determinedly grab it with one tiny hand. She’ll use the other hand to rub over your skin, looking for miniature snacks, meanwhile making sounds of contentment. Her determent ‘rough’ movements are hilarious, but this beauty treatment doesn’t hurt one bit.

Taking care of wild animals is serious business, but if you do it well, it can give you so much love back.