Gibbons and waterfall
Sunday 19th January 2014 - part one
We went on an organised trip this morning to the Bangpae Waterfall and the Gibbon Rehabilitation Centre (GRC). The gibbon population had virtually disappeared into Phuket due to locals shooting mother gibbons to steal the baby and then using that to make money from tourists wanting their photo taken with the cute little bear. When the bear grows up - to about five years old - it gets aggressive and is killed or set free, but doesn’t last long as it is not geared to surviving in the wild. This practice was outlawed 20 years ago but still goes on. The GRC takes in the baby gibbons that are rescued from these operators and tries to help them grow up, mate and survive. It is hard work, as many have illnesses and personality disorders that make survival difficult for them. But they now have a small number of mating couples and are working hard. You can find more information from their Facebook page.
Afterwards, we went on a hot and sticky trek up a difficult path to the Bangpae waterfall, which was nice but nothing that special. Exhausted, we were taken back to the hotel (with a quick stop to loo at a rubber plantation) where we had some lunch and then a swim in the sea to cool down.
We went on an organised trip this morning to the Bangpae Waterfall and the Gibbon Rehabilitation Centre (GRC). The gibbon population had virtually disappeared into Phuket due to locals shooting mother gibbons to steal the baby and then using that to make money from tourists wanting their photo taken with the cute little bear. When the bear grows up - to about five years old - it gets aggressive and is killed or set free, but doesn’t last long as it is not geared to surviving in the wild. This practice was outlawed 20 years ago but still goes on. The GRC takes in the baby gibbons that are rescued from these operators and tries to help them grow up, mate and survive. It is hard work, as many have illnesses and personality disorders that make survival difficult for them. But they now have a small number of mating couples and are working hard. You can find more information from their Facebook page.
Afterwards, we went on a hot and sticky trek up a difficult path to the Bangpae waterfall, which was nice but nothing that special. Exhausted, we were taken back to the hotel (with a quick stop to loo at a rubber plantation) where we had some lunch and then a swim in the sea to cool down.