Seven Semai Women Lead Malaysia's First All-Female Indigenous Ranger Unit to Protect Gibbons

Seven Women, 29 Gibbons and a Mission in Malaysia's Forests

Seven women from Malaysia's Semai community are caring for endangered gibbons while challenging expectations about who can lead wildlife conservation. The country's first ranger unit made up entirely of indigenous women works with the Gibbon Conservation Society (GCS), which cares for 29 rescued gibbons across centres in Pahang and Sabah.

As of August 9, 2025, the organisation has 18 gibbons at its centre in Raub, Pahang, and 11 in Kota Belud, Sabah. For the women, protecting these small apes means feeding rescued animals, recording their behaviour and helping prepare them for a possible return to the forest.

Sunnyda Yok Nun, known as Cidot, is a 38-year-old Semai ranger whose first encounter with gibbons during training helped shape her commitment to the work. She remembered their calls rising above the noise of a river.

"Their voices are so powerful, as they overpowered the sound of the river," she said.

The sound connected Cidot with an animal facing threats from forest destruction, hunting and the illegal pet trade. Her response has also brought her into conflict with people who questioned her decision to become a ranger.

The unit's work brings together two struggles: keeping endangered wildlife alive and opening opportunities for indigenous women who have faced poverty, discrimination and restrictions on their roles. Its immediate task is practical and demanding. Gibbons rescued from captivity need sustained care before they can survive independently, while the women caring for them need training, support and the opportunity to lead.

Why Malaysia's Gibbons Need Protection

Malaysia is home to five gibbon species, all classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Known for their agility and distinctive songs, these apes depend on forests that are being reduced by agriculture, logging and development.

Hunting adds another threat. Gibbons are killed for bushmeat and traditional medicine, while demand for exotic pets puts young animals at particular risk. Capturing a baby gibbon usually involves killing its mother.

Gibbons also help keep forests growing. As seed dispersers, they move seeds through the landscape, helping new plants take root and supporting forest regeneration. Their decline signals wider damage to the ecosystems they inhabit.

The rangers' work therefore reaches beyond the survival of individual rescued animals. Helping gibbons return to the wild can also help restore their role in the forest. That goal depends on animals recovering the health and behaviour they need to live without human care.

Semai Women Challenge Expectations

The Semai people are indigenous to Pahang and are among Malaysia's most marginalised indigenous communities. Poverty, limited access to education and healthcare, and social exclusion have restricted opportunities. Semai women also face cultural expectations that keep them in domestic roles.

Many members of the ranger unit had never imagined working in conservation. Their connection to their land and its wildlife helped draw them into the programme, but taking on the role brought resistance from people around them.

Cidot described criticism that reached into her own family. Speaking about her decision to continue, she said:

"People have mocked us. My own family said hurtful things, but I chose to ignore them," Cidot shared.

Many of the rangers are single mothers who previously performed traditional Sewang dances to welcome visitors. Their work now includes scientific observation, education and the protection of their ancestral forests. Their persistence is changing attitudes within their communities and beyond.

For these women, becoming a ranger also means claiming a greater say over their lives while challenging gender based violence and discrimination. Their experience shows what access to a new occupation can change in concrete terms: the responsibilities they hold, the knowledge they develop and the leadership roles they can pursue.

How a Rescued Infant Led to Two Centres

Primatologist Mariani "Bam" Ramli founded the Gibbon Conservation Society after an experience in 2013, when she cared for a confiscated infant gibbon. That encounter began a commitment that grew into an organisation operating two rehabilitation centres over the following decade.

The main steps in that development are:

• 2013: Ramli cared for a confiscated infant gibbon, beginning the work that led her to establish GCS.
• Over the following decade: The organisation developed rehabilitation operations in Raub, Pahang, and Kota Belud, Sabah.
• By August 9, 2025: GCS was caring for 29 gibbons and supporting the unit of seven Semai women.

The Pahang centre cares for 18 of the 29 animals, while Sabah cares for 11. That places more than half of the organisation's gibbons in Pahang, where the Semai women's work connects daily animal care with preparation for release.

GCS provides training and support for the rangers while following rigorous international guidelines for gibbon rehabilitation and eventual release. Its approach addresses physical health, emotional recovery and social readiness, with annual health checks and care plans tailored to each animal.

What the Rangers Do Each Day

At the Gibbon Rehabilitation Centre in Raub, the women care for animals including Enku, a two-year-old gibbon surrendered after being kept as a pet. Feeding, cleaning and providing enrichment are part of the daily routine. Enrichment gives animals activities and stimulation as they recover in care.

The rangers also monitor health and behaviour, watching how each gibbon responds and develops. Their observations help track progress towards rewilding, the process of preparing an animal to live in the wild again.

Their responsibilities combine animal care, record keeping and work with people:

• Feeding and rehabilitating rescued gibbons.
• Monitoring the animals' health and behaviour.
• Documenting wildlife data through citizen science methods.
• Teaching their communities about conservation.

Citizen science means people contribute observations and records to scientific work. For the Semai rangers, recording what they see is part of caring for the animals, alongside the practical tasks that keep them fed and their surroundings clean.

The women also serve as educators and examples within their communities. Their presence in conservation work demonstrates that indigenous women can hold responsibilities in science and wildlife protection, extending the programme's reach beyond the rehabilitation centre.

Why Returning a Gibbon to the Wild Takes Time

Rescued gibbons may arrive traumatised, malnourished or carrying hidden infections after prolonged contact with people. Rehabilitation is a slow process because recovery involves more than providing food and a place to stay.

Structured health checks and assessments of behaviour guide their care. The aim is to help each animal become physically, emotionally and socially ready for life outside the centre, with its individual needs shaping the plan.

Gibbons returning to the forest need to find food, communicate, defend territory and form stable family groups. These abilities matter because daily survival in the wild depends on the animals managing those tasks themselves.

At the Malaya Gibbon Rehabilitation Project in Raub, two gibbon families have produced offspring in captivity, marking progress in the rehabilitation programme. Both families are being monitored closely to assess their readiness for release.

The Semai ranger unit plays a central role in caring for these families and preparing for their eventual return to the forest. Funding for monitoring and continued support will help determine when release can proceed; no release date has been given.

Recognition and a Plan for Indigenous Leadership

Ramli's work has received international recognition. She is the only Malaysian woman to have been named a World Female Ranger Week Ambassador and has recently received the World Female Ranger "Resilience" Award.

World Female Ranger Week is a global campaign that brings attention to women working on the frontlines of wildlife protection. The Semai rangers' experiences form part of that wider effort to recognise women's contributions to conservation.

Ramli, GCS's founder and the driving force behind the initiative, wants the women to gain enough support and opportunity to take charge of the project. Describing that ambition, she said:

One day, I hope this entire project can be handed over to them. It's just a matter of giving them encouragement and also opportunity for the ladies to show their strength.

Her ambition puts indigenous leadership at the centre of the programme's future. The women already carry out essential care and observation; the longer goal is for them to have responsibility for the project itself.

Paying for Care and Preparing for Release

GCS's Adopt A Gibbon programme allows supporters to sponsor individual animals. Contributions pay for food, medicine and enrichment, meeting needs that continue throughout rehabilitation.

Corporate partners are showing growing interest in supporting the release of rehabilitated families. Opportunities include naming newborn gibbons and following their progress through live video feeds.

Funding remains a major challenge. Releasing a family requires resources for monitoring and support after it leaves the centre, as well as the care needed beforehand. GCS is seeking partnerships with researchers, universities and volunteers to build its capacity and sustain the work.

The programme is also creating livelihood opportunities for the Semai women. Animal welfare and community opportunity are connected here: continued support helps maintain the care of rescued gibbons while allowing the rangers to keep developing their conservation roles.

Trafficking Keeps Pressure on Rescue Work

Authorities recently intercepted an attempt to smuggle four live gibbons at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. The incident highlights the continuing illegal trade and the need for more rescue and rehabilitation capacity.

Habitat loss and hunting continue alongside trafficking. Rehabilitation addresses the needs of rescued animals, while education and advocacy remain part of the effort to protect gibbons and the forests they depend on.

For the Semai women, that forest is also tied to cultural heritage. Indigenous communities often hold detailed ecological knowledge and have a direct interest in preserving their lands. The ranger programme connects that relationship with training, animal care and conservation leadership.

The seven women's work brings wildlife protection, gender equality and indigenous rights into the same daily routine. Its progress can be seen in gibbons recovering in care, families being assessed for release and women taking on responsibilities once considered outside their expected roles.

Key Points

• Seven Semai women make up Malaysia's first ranger unit composed entirely of indigenous women.
• Malaysia's five gibbon species are endangered and face habitat loss, hunting and the illegal pet trade.
• GCS cares for 29 gibbons: 18 in Raub, Pahang, and 11 in Kota Belud, Sabah.
• Two gibbon families at the Raub project have produced offspring and are being assessed for release.
• Founder Mariani "Bam" Ramli hopes the women will eventually take responsibility for the entire project.
• Funding, monitoring capacity and continuing wildlife trafficking remain major challenges.