A rare Javan Gibbon, born two years ago at the Greensboro Science Center, is still thriving and doing well despite having a few bad breaks. Duke is one of only 8 Javan Gibbons ever born in captivity and sadly, he was abandoned by his mother soon after. Staff at the center decided to hand raise Duke to give him the best chance at survival and for six months fed him, gave him toys to play with and nurtured him. He was successfully re-introduced to his family.
Duke is a wily little guy and while playing in his enclosure he broke his arm and had to have surgery to repair it. After spending a long recovery in an area with no climbing structures, Duke was allowed back into his play area and spends his days like most gibbons his age, swinging and playing. Duke is a favorite of visitors to the GSC. Watch the video below for a segment produced for North Carolina Public Television that chronicles Duke and his victory over adversity.
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