Many people are drawn to wildlife and nature at a young age. Since the age of seven, April Dwyer knew that she had an appreciation for animals. Fast forward to her future, little did she know that her passion would lead her to working with primates and turning her experience into a children’s book for the future generation.

How to Sing Like a Gibbon is an extraordinary story written by April Dwyer and illustrated by Napas Somsawad, recently published in 2024 to educate young children on the natural behaviour of primates and stir curiosity.

The Gibbons and rehabilitation centre that inspired the story

Once poached to extinction in Thailand, Gibbons now fill the lush rainforests near Phuket with their rich and distinct songs. This amazing turn around for these charismatic creatures is due in no small part to the Gibbon Rehabilitation Project, a non-profit founded in Phuket.

With over 30 years of working with different Gibbon reintroduction methods, the Project has been instrumental in bringing the Gibbons back to the country with a growing population. With refined and carefully tested reintroduction techniques, the Project is now able to expand and focus efforts on repopulating Gibbon populations to the north of Thailand.

This rehabilitation facility is where April grew a fondness for the species and their conservation story. “That’s where I fell in love with Gibbons. Perhaps it is their song, cheeky nature, or their intelligence. I fell head over heels with them”, exclaims April as she reflects on her experience.

However, working with Gibbons presented challenges. It is not work for the lighthearted, especially when the mission is to reintroduce them back to the wild. To make sure the Gibbons maintain a wild behaviour and do not become attached to humans, the center keeps a “hands off” approach. April reflects on working with them and the satisfaction that reintroducing Gibbons to the wild brought her:

“They give very little appreciation, to be honest. They’ll still try and get a swipe at you because the centre is focused on rehabilitating and releasing. You don’t get to form any cuddly bonds, so thankfully, they still maintain their wild nature. Gibbons have the longest arms. So if you were within arms reach of them, they’d grasp onto some hair or an arm, limb, anything.

“But for me, what makes it all worth it, is knowing how many have been re-released into the wild. It’s knowing how an area in Thailand where Gibbons had once gone extinct is now at capacity and they’ve had to shift to another release site. So it’s just knowing what the center is doing actually matters, and it’s making a difference”.

This satisfaction of seeing the Gibbons successfully thrive in the wild is the spark that lit the fire for the writing of How to Sing Like a Gibbon, with the hope of bringing awareness of their conservation to young kids around the globe.

Bringing the Gibbon’s Song to children around the globe

How to Sing Like a Gibbon is not just any ordinary children’s book. It’s realistic to Gibbons and speaks to the species as they are in the real world. As April puts it: “I didn’t want to have them dressed up in clothes. I didn’t want that kind of story. I wanted them to be in the wild”.

The story teaches children how they behave in nature and what makes the species unique. Many children and even adults have never heard of a Gibbon song. This story aims to teach them that with beautiful, realistic illustrations and cute dialog between characters, while introducing children to the different species in a Bornean rainforest.

While being scientifically accurate, April wrote the story from a “childlike mindset”. She embraced her inner child when portraying the characters and facts of the species’ lives.

“I found that nice balance between being silly while still presenting the facts in a subtle way”, April describes while explaining her thought process while writing the book. An example of this is portraying a character falling to the ground. Being canopy dwelling species, Gibbons are not normally on the ground. This is just one of the little lessons that teach children about the animal.

The inspiration for others to be involved in conservation

Whether one discovers they have a passion for the environment and wildlife at a young age or as an adult, there are always ways to become involved. For children, seeking educational and fun stories on wildlife, such as April’s book, is a great way to raise awareness of species conservation.

“I’d love for them to just know about Gibbons and to start with that awareness, because they’re the ‘forgotten ape’”.

Teaching children simple facts about  animals or how they behave can be enough to spark  curiosity about the natural world. The first step of introducing a child to an animal such as a clouded leopard, can be all it takes to encourage questions and seek more knowledge.

For those who are interested in following in April’s footsteps, here are several tips to get your foot in the door:

• Find what interests you in conservation and seek out organisations that do that type of work.
• Reach out individually to organisations to see if they would take volunteers – in person or remote.
• If you’re interested in inspiring the next generation to become conservationists by writing your own book, read other children’s books. Learn what children like so you know how to capture their attention.

No matter where you live, there are opportunities to become involved in conservation – whether it is working locally or assisting remotely for projects across the world. Making a point to reach out to someone who works in your interest area is the first step you can take to advance your conservation career.

If April’s work and How to Sing Like a Gibbon inspired you, you can visit the Gibbon Rehabilitation Project.

You can purchase How to Sing Like a Gibbon online. Ten percent of the profits will go to the Borneo Nature Foundation, an Indonesian-based organisation that protects biodiversity in Borneo.

 

Author Profile | Anne Mauro

Anne Mauro is a Biologist and Conservationist based in Columbus, Ohio, United States. She is passionate about working with others to develop or strengthen conservation efforts both locally and globally. Originally trained in avian ecology, she is starting her own migratory bird banding research station to determine how passerines utilize rural stopover habitat in Central Ohio. Her work has allowed her to work with a large variety of birds, from breeding passerines in the Missouri Ozarks to studying American flamingos in Florida with the Florida Flamingo Working Group.

Interviews, Communicator