India Emerges As Major Destination For Gibbon Trafficking As TRAFFIC Report Reveals 86 Seizures Across 33 Incidents Since January 2024

Chennai: A research report on gibbon trafficking over the last two years by international wildlife trade monitoring organisation TRAFFIC has highlighted that India is the destination for the majority of these primates native to the forests of Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia.

The report studied 33 seizure incidents between January 2024 and August 2026 at airports and other locations across India, Gulf countries and the three Southeast Asian countries, in which 86 gibbons across six species were confiscated. Of these, 18 seizures were at Indian airports, mainly in Chennai, Bengaluru and Mumbai. Ten gibbons intercepted by Malaysian authorities and three by Thai authorities were also destined for India. Two seizures in Indonesia involved gibbons destined for Oman and Dubai, the TRAFFIC report noted.

TRAFFIC’s study implicates Malaysia’s capital, Kuala Lumpur, in 16 incidents involving 56 gibbons.

The report highlighted incidents in May and September 2025 when nine gibbons were found in hotels in Mumbai after being trafficked from Malaysia. Seven found in May later died. In July, Thai authorities arrested two Indian nationals and seized a pileated gibbon during an operation in Bangkok. In February, Indonesian authorities seized three gibbons from a wildlife trader who allegedly had trade links with India and Europe since 2021.

This indicates the huge demand for gibbons in India’s exotic pet trade, where they are sold for lakh of rupees, officials said.

With increasing awareness, the trend has shifted towards detections at Southeast Asian airports. This is a healthy sign as it indicates earlier detection and intervention along the trafficking chain, the TRAFFIC report said.

Siamang and agile gibbons were the most frequently trafficked species, according to the study. Both are native to Indonesia, peninsular Malaysia and Thailand. In 64% of the cases, two to four gibbons were smuggled per incident, pointing to a targeted and consolidated effort. Trafficked gibbons are infants or juveniles, as their small size makes them easier to handle and conceal during air travel. Wildlife experts say infants are preferred as they can be trained for human interaction. However, hunters kill their parents in the wild to separate them.

Gibbon trafficking does not occur in isolation but takes place alongside the trafficking of other primates and reptiles, the TRAFFIC report stated.

The report pointed out that visa and visa-fee waiver measures introduced for Indians travelling to Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia may have coincided with the gibbon trafficking incidents, which authorities should scrutinise.

Shravan Krishnan, a Chennai-based wildlife conservationist, said Indian authorities should work on reducing demand and creating awareness among those who buy gibbons as pets. “People should be educated on how their desire is responsible for ecological damage elsewhere in the world,” he said.

Indian authorities should also ensure that seized gibbons, some of which are critically endangered, are sent back to their countries of origin and rehabilitated in the wild, Krishnan said.

The report called for greater collaboration between India and Southeast Asian countries to curb this trade and improved detection measures by airlines.