Videos Of People Feeding Gibbons May Look Cute But Primatologist Reminds Us Why This Isn’t So

Feeding wild gibbons will only cause them health problems, warns a primatologist.

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While the uninformed may find random videos of people feeding wildlife cute, primatologists certainly do not feel the same way.

In light of a recent video of a person feeding a wild black-furred gibbon, primatologist Mariani Ramli took to TikTok to explain why this should not be normalised.

According to her, feeding gibbons or siamang as they are known in the Malay language, could spell death for the poor things.

“Feeding wild gibbons will only cause them health problems, disturb the ecosystem, and finally could cause them death,” Mariani said in her video.

Mariani is a primatologist with a special emphasis on the rehabilitation and conservation of gibbons in Malaysia.

In her video, she criticised those who put up videos of feeding wild gibbons, and also chided local media outlets for further sharing the videos without doing some research first.

She requested that people use the internet to do some research before sharing anything with the public.

“Malaysia is rich with megadiversity, so please don’t embarrass yourselves,” Mariani said.

Mariani said that she has mentioned before about the consequences of feeding wild gibbons, in commenting on a video of a gibbon being fed mandarin oranges.

“If you give the animal oranges every day, for sure its health will be affected,” Mariani said.

Mariani then highlighted an incident of a gibbon dying in a hit-and-run incident in Genting Highlands.

She said the cause of this is because the animal has become dependent on humans for food, which shouldn’t be the case.

@bamarrogancia77 Replying to @Puan Maktok Resist the urge to feed wildlife, in this instance, wild #gibbons! While it may seem harmless, it disrupts their natural diet and behavior. Being too close to humans can be dangerous for gibbons, making them rely on people and not know how to survive in the wild. 🔁 Help spread awareness by sharing this video! Everyone can play a part in wildlife conservation. ➡️ Gibbon clip from @cilisosmy article. #primatology #primatologist #conservation #malaysia #pahang #genting #nature #fyp #wildlife #siamang #primates #gentinghighlands ♬ original sound – BaM Arrogancia

Siamang

Siamang is a family of monkeys that share 96% of their DNA with humans. Sickness like Covid-19 can be spread to them when they are in close contact with humans.

Siamang also can transfer their sickness to us.

Meanwhile, feeding Siamang with food that we have can cause them nutrient deficiency, compared to “jungle food” which is a balanced diet for them.

By finding their source of food in the jungle, they also help the ecosystem of the jungle to be maintained and because they move around for hours to find their food, they also get the necessary activity that their body needs.

In the future, it is wise to appreciate the wild animals in their territory rather than bringing them into our territory and endangering their lives.

@bamarrogancia77 Replying to @Alesya Lai Bouquet Memberi makanan kepada #gibbon liar mengganggu perilaku semula jadi mereka, mengancam kesihatan, dan mendorong kebergantungan pada sumber manusia, membahayakan kelangsungan hidup mereka di alam liar. Belajar lebih lanjut tentang konservasi dan rehabilitasi ungka dan siamang di @Gibbon Conservation Society #malaysia #conservation #primatologist #nature #rehabilitation #sabahan #wildlife #WildlifeConservation #MalaysianTikTok #nasihat #AdviceTikTok #BelajarDiTikTok #BelajarOnline #Pahang #NatureTok #ConservationTok ♬ original sound – BaM Arrogancia