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Gabriella Skollar-Charnofsky has been working for the Gibbon Conservation Center (GCC) for 8 years. The GCC is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the conservation of gibbons by promoting public education, supporting habitat preservation, furthering study and advancing care practices. The GCC houses approximately 40 gibbons, representing five of the seventeen species, 2 of which are highly endangered.
Gabriella graduated in 2004 with a Master’s degree in Biology at the University of Szeged, in Hungary. She first became involved with gibbons when her University adviser asked her to record Kaszat, a northern white-cheeked gibbon in the Szeged Zoo. After many hours of early morning recording and observation, it became her passion to study gibbon vocalization. Gabriella moved to the U.S. in 2005 to work as a volunteer caregiver and researcher at the GCC, originally supported by the Rosztoczy Scholarship. In 2007 she became a full time Primate Caregiver and Research Assistant. In November 2011 Gabriella became the Primary Caregiver responsible for the day-to-day care and health of the gibbons, and the supervision of other caregivers, maintenance staff and volunteers. She is an active participant in the gibbon zoological and scientific communities worldwide. She gives educational lectures and tours at the GCC, focusing on gibbon conservation and behavior. Gabriella has presented at international conferences on gibbon husbandry, cognition and social behavior. Currently, her studies focus on gibbon vocalization and social behavior, with the goal that her studies will support gibbon conservation efforts. Gabriella wants to dedicate her life to protect and study gibbons, and educate others about these fascinating primates.