Learn, Help, and Enjoy with the coolest primates on the planet!

I volunteered at the Gibbon Rehabilitation Project in Phuket, Thailand for one month. When I was initially looking for a volunteer project to work with wildlife in Asia, I was disheartened to see that every project required a substantial fee that was just more than I could afford. Every project except the GRP. They were in need of volunteers, so they were temporarily waiving the fee for volunteers who stayed at least one month.

I had never done a volunteer project like this before so I had no idea what to expect. The only thing I anticipated for sure was that I would have to work hard, but I would be doing it for the good of the white-handed gibbon, a primate that I knew little about except what I had learned through cursory image and video searches online. They are beautiful, graceful, amazing, and threatened animals, worthy of whatever small help I could offer.

Well, after completing my month at the project, I can definitely say I was right about the working hard part, but that it was so worth every minute of sweaty effort. Not only did I learn a ton about gibbons, I learned a lot about Thai culture through the amazing friendships I made with the staff. While I often felt like more of a hindrance than a help, they were always more than happy to share their knowledge, their culture, and their own selves with me and the other volunteers.

The best part about the project is that they are working on rehabilitating and releasing gibbons that have been kept in captivity as pets or tourist attractions. They also spend a lot of time educating the local people and tourists about the plight of the gibbon in Thailand. Through their efforts they are repopulating the forest of Phuket with these amazing native creatures. I cannot endorse this project, the work they do, and the experience you will have there as a volunteer enough. Please help them out in any way you can!