KISMA PRESERVE IN THE NEWS

Baby Gibbon Mothered 24/7 By Human

Ape mum Heather Grierson is so devoted to her adopted baby gibbon she even takes the tiny primate into her local cinema.

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Animal lover Heather, 49, park director of the Kisma Wildlife Preserve in Mt Desert, Maine, USA, has been mothering cute Tica 24-hours-a-day for 13 weeks after her young mother – a resident at the park – proved unable to care for her offspring.

It means the wildlife lover now eats, sleeps and even shops with her furry baby, drawing curious stares from other residents of the small American town.



Normally when the surrogate mum can’t find a suitable baby-sitter she is forced to stay in and cancels her night s out.

But on some occasions – like when Trekker Heather has tickets booked to see the latest Star Trek film and can’t find a nanny – she takes Tica with her and simply ignores the weird looks from passers by.

“I wasn’t going to miss that for anything,” said Heather.

“Normally my staff are on hand to look after her for a while but it didn’t work out that time. Instead,

“I just wrapped Tica up in her favourite sarong and took her along to the movie theatre. Fortunately the staff didn’t notice she was inside when I arrived so I managed to smuggle her in. I don’t think they would have liked it.

“She’s was good as gold in the theatre and I don’t think anyone else spotted I had a live baby gibbon with me. She didn’t make peep.”



Two weeks after she was born in March, Tica’s natural mother was struggling to cope and Heather and her team decided to remove.

In the ape’s natural habitat in South East Asia it is a regular occurrence that young gibbon mums are unable to bear the responsibility of offspring.

Sadly the infant usually dies but it’s a natural process where the developing parent gets a chance to practice at childcare and ensures they are better equipped the next time around.

But for Heather, whose wildlife sanctuary has been involved in a breeding programme for 20 years in a desperate attempt to save the species’ dwindling population, all loses are unacceptable.

“In my lifetime their numbers have dropped worldwide by 90%,” said Heather. “They are losing their habitat as palm oil plantations move in and the resident population just dies out.

“We are doing everything we can here to boost their numbers and keep a healthy population alive.”

The need for baby gibbons to have permanent social contact when they grow is vital to their adult well-being.

Heather added: “If they don’t have that contact then they can develop sever psychological problems. Tica will be gradually introduced to our other gibbons here at the park or to another group we have in Miami.”



But until the adorable critter is at least six months, she will be clinging to her favourite cuddly toy, Heather’s neck and getting all the motherly love she needs.

“I have to be careful with my choice of clothes so I don’t end up topless,” said Heather. “She has a good grip and she can pull off flimsy shoulder straps quite easily.”

She added: “The best thing everyone can do to save these amazing animals is to avoid palm oil. It is in everything from fried chicken to cosmetics and we have survived for thousands of years without it. It isn’t necessary but the gibbons need their habitat.”

Words by Liam Miller