Need a bit of a groom? Come on over to Ninda’s house, where his family is visited — and groomed by — a wild gibbon friend every day.
Kalia the hoolock gibbon has, after losing her own primate family, attached herself to the next best thing: A human family living on the edge of her forest. She visits Ninda and his family every day, grooming people and dogs alike in social rituals meant to build trust.
Gibbons are very social creatures, and Kalia craves the personal contact that would usually come from her troop. Ninda and his family are happy to provide companionship to this ape, but understand that she is still a wild creature, not a pet.
