October 24 is the 7th International Gibbon Day and a perfect chance for people worldwide to pay more attention to these small apes who have been struggling on the verge of extinction.

Gibbons are not monkeys. The small apes are primates, which makes them close to humans. According to the latest statistics, there are three genera and six species of gibbons in China, and the total number of gibbons is between 1,100-1,200, and their living condition is worrying.

The Hainan black-crested gibbon is one of the six gibbon species in China. It was designated as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Previously, only 33 gibbons from five families were found in the pilot national park in the Hainan Tropical Rain Forest in southern China's Hainan Province. However, with enhanced conservation efforts, another two joined the ranks as newborns in two families this year, bringing the total number of the Hainan black-crested gibbons to 35.

Other gibbon species in China include:

The Gaoligong hoolock gibbon, which is critically endangered with less than 150 distributed in Yunnan Province

The Northern white-cheeked gibbon, which is also critically endangered and used to live in the rainforest in Xishuangbanna

The Lar gibbon, which listed as endangered and used to live in Licang City, Yunnan Province

The Eastern black-crested gibbon, which is listed as critically endangered. Thirty-two are found active in southern China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and the China-Vietnam border

The Nomascus concolo, which is critically endangered and has a population of less than 100 in central Yunnan Province

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