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The as-yet-unnamed male infant is being cared for by it doting parents—mum Kulon and dad Ujung, who are named after the Ujung-Kulon National Park in the gibbons’ ancestral land of Java.

Neil Spooner, Animal Director at Howletts Wild Animal Park, said: “We are delighted to add another baby Javan gibbon to our growing collection of primates. These fantastic creatures are in serious decline in the wild, and captive breeding programmes, similar to ours, may represent one of the best opportunities for the survival of this species in the long term”.

Howletts near Canterbury and Port Lympne Wild Animal Park near Hythe currently hold half of the world’s captive population of Javan gibbons, with 12 males and 13 females between the parks.

Not only are the two Kentish Wild Animal Parks world leaders in animal husbandry and breeding, but they hold the only breeding pair of Javan gibbons in England.

With only 2,000 Javan gibbons left in the wild, each new arrival in captivity gives new hope for the survival of this rare primate.

The Javan gibbon lives only in mature tropical rainforests in the Western half of the island of Java, Indonesia, eating a diet of mainly fruit and some leaves. This gibbon is famous for its territorial song which can be heard by anyone who has visited Howletts Wild Animal Park at around midday.