The International Primate Protection League (IPPL) is dedicated to the preservation and protection of the world’s primates. Founded in 1973 by Dr. Shirley McGreal, IPPL has spent more than five decades fighting to protect and save primates around the world — from exposing the fate of primates in research laboratories to fighting smugglers to establishing a gibbon sanctuary.
IPPL’s work has ranged from high-profile campaigns against the illegal primate trade to the daily operation of a gibbon sanctuary, where gibbons rescued from the research trade, the pet trade, and roadside zoos receive lifelong care. The organization runs an adoption program that directly funds the care of these animals, and welcomes volunteers — a perk, IPPL notes, is being “serenaded by our gibbons singing” while making a difference. More than 60% of primate species around the world are now threatened with extinction, mainly due to habitat loss, hunting, illegal trade, climate change, and disease, and IPPL’s work spans direct animal care, policy advocacy, and public education.
The organization publishes IPPL News, a long-running newsletter that shares stories from the frontlines of primate protection. IPPL has built an international network of partner organizations, including the Vervet Monkey Foundation, Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand, and other sanctuaries and rescue groups.
