The Wild Animal Rescue Foundation of Thailand (WARF) became an officially registered charity on 26th August 1992, through the work of its founders, Leonie and Pongsagdi Vejjajiva, who for more than 10 years previously had run their own sanctuary at their home in Bangkok. Thus in 1992, WARF was created, to ensure that what had become their life’s work continues into the future. The Sukhumvit sanctuary has spread from their backyard to project sites all over Thailand.
Since its establishment, WARF has expanded its operations and developed closer ties with the Royal Forestry Department and other government and non-governmental agencies. Today it has become one of Thailand’s leading advocates for nature conservation. Currently WARF operates four different wildlife sanctuaries that are focused on providing appropriate housing and care for animals placed under their protection. Many of the animals in WARF’s care, including gibbons, macaques, bears and tigers are former pets that have been maltreated, or have grown too big and unmanageable for their owners. WARF’s goal is to rehabilitate these animals wherever possible and return them to the wild. However many animals are too disabled or have been too traumatized to be able survive on their own. For these animals, the long-term care offered in the sanctuaries are their only hope of survival.
WARF is well known for its Gibbon Rehabilitation Project (GRP) in Phuket, established in 1990 by Asia Wildlife. In 1994 the GRP became the research arm of the Wild Animal Rescue Foundation of Thailand where its project at Bang Pae Waterfall, Tambon Pa Klok, Phuket is situated. As part of the rehabilitation process, gibbons are successively moved further and further from humans, both geographically and in terms of human contact. Once a pair of gibbons is deemed fit to survive on their own, they are released into the wild on an undeveloped island. The successful gibbon releases into the wild, at the GRP, has been a culmination of nearly 10 years of planning, study and preparation. The ongoing study and assessment of this success is helping to pave the way for successful releases in other areas. In addition to its work with gibbons, the GRP runs the Gibbon Rehabilitation Educational Project (GREP). Its primary goal is educating visitors and the local community alike about the protection of gibbons and of their rainforest habitat in general. GREP also plays an important role in building communication links between GRP and the local Thai community. GREP gives educational presentations to primary and secondary schools in Phuket, lectures and presentations for community groups and universities and provides guided tours at the gibbon rehabilitation site. In November 2000 WARF employed a full time Thai veterinary surgeon to work at the GRP.
Our Logo
Some of you may wonder why a gibbon is used as the logo of the foundation. It is true that a majority of our animals are gibbons, but that is not the real reason. The fact is, apart from humans, gibbons are the only apes native to Thailand. Did you know that they are also the only apes that walk upright all the time, similar to humans? Gibbon is not a species of monkey as the general public understands, but are one of six species of ape, including humans, gorilla, orangutan, chimpanzee and bonnobo. Gibbons can be found only in Southeast Asia, that is Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Burma, Malaysia, Indonesia, Southern China and in Assam in Northern India. There are 12 species of Gibbon, but only 4 species can be found in the Thai forest: Lar (white handed) gibbon, Pileated (capped) gibbon, Siamung and Agile (dark handed) gibbon, which has not been found in the wild for nearly twenty years. Pileated gibbons are also rare, and can be found deep in the jungle on the Thai-Cambodian border.
The behavior of the gibbon is different to other wild animals. In their natural habitat they live in the tree tops and never touch the ground; they travel in tree tops and live in families. Gibbons mark their boundaries of about 1/2 square km per family including father, mother and offspring under 8 years of age. Gibbons are monogamous and must fall in love prior to mating. Once they mate, they pair for life. Should one of them die or depart, the other would normally live along forever or pine to death. Unlike monkeys who live in flocks, normally a mother gibbon has only one baby at a time. Different from other wild animals, sometimes when male and female gibbons are forced to lived together they will fight to the death. This is one of the reasons why they could easily become extinct. Due to all these outstanding points, the foundation felt that honor should be given to the only Thai ape, and so used it as our logo.
The word WARF or former known “WAR” actually stands for “Wild Animal Rescue Foundation.” Some people may think that we have something to do with war, they may be partly correct because our foundation declares war on all who are cruel to animals in any way. Now you see why the foundation uses the “Gibbon” and the word “WARF” on the logo of the foundation.