The Gibbon Conservation Center is one of the more unusual wildlife destinations in Southern California — a small, dedicated sanctuary focused entirely on gibbons, the small apes of Southeast Asia. It holds more gibbon species than anywhere else in North America, including the critically endangered pileated gibbon and the Javan gibbon.
Visiting requires advance reservations and is conducted in small groups. The apes are not shy: they fill the canyon with their distinctive whooping calls, audible from a distance, and the sanctuary explains the threats of habitat destruction and illegal pet trade that push these species toward extinction. It operates primarily as a conservation center rather than a public zoo, which gives visits a different character than a typical animal park. Tours are offered on weekend mornings.