About Us
EAST was established in 2008 by Monkey World Ape Rescue Centre (UK) and Pingtung Rescue Centre (Taiwan), with a mission of helping to conserve Asia’s endangered wildlife.
Its flagship project is the Dao Tien Endangered Species Centre in Cat Tien National Park, Vietnam.
Here the centre rescues, rehabilitates and releases back into the wild endangered primates’ native to the area, such as golden-cheeked gibbons, pygmy loris and black-shanked douc monkeys.
ASAP Species That We Work On
What We Do
EAST works with the Vietnamese government and Forestry Protection Department to confiscate primates from the black market trade, and expedite them to the Dao Tien centre to start their rehabilitation. Many primates arrive to the centre malnourished, stressed and in a state of social deprivation. The centre works to prepare them physically and mentally for the wild before they can be released. Luckily some are only recently out of the forest, and can be released relatively quickly. However, others have spent years in captivity, and/or were hunted as babies. For them, it can be many years before they are ready to be released.
Rehabilitation consists of progressing primates through the cage enclosures, where health can be established and introductions to suitable primates can take place, to forested enclosures where primates learn tree skills and independence from their human carers.
The final stage is a soft release, where the primates are fitted with telemetry tracking collars, and released into vetted protected forest. The primates are monitored for a year after release to assure success, or return to the centre if not successful.
Recently Dao Tien has received an influx of confiscated infant black-shanked douc monkeys. The centre is currently building emergency douc hand-rearing facilities to facilitate their rehabilitation.
Where We Work
The centre is on Dao Tien island, within Cat Tien National park. South Vietnam.