Zoo-keeper Emily off to Thailand on gibbon project

Working on a voluntary basis, Emily will fly to Thailand tomorrow and spend six months at the Rehabilitation site based at Phuket.

Emily, 22, has worked at Drusillas since 2004 after completing a National Diploma at Plumpton College.

During her time at the zoo she has completed a Higher National Certificate in the Management of Zoo Animals and has looked after a variety of different species, including the Park's own family of lar gibbons.

Found naturally throughout the forests of Southeast Asia, lar gibbons are one of the most beautiful and graceful members of the ape family. Their population is threatened in the wild due to loss of habitat and capture for the pet trade and in the past they were poached to near extinction in the forests of Phuket.

The Gibbon Rehabilitation Project aims to increase awareness about the exploitation of gibbons and the importance of conservation. It also seeks to study their behaviour, as well as rehabilitate and return the gibbons to the wild where possible.

Emily said: "I am really looking forward to working for the Gibbon Rehabilitation Project and learning more about lar gibbons. I also hope to have the opportunity to work with other native species and help promote conservation in the area."