Page 81 - World of Animals - Issue #28 Magazine

CONSERVING

THE CHIMPANZEE

Our closest living relatives
have suffered rapid

population declines – and
human activity is to blame

Words Naomi Harding
There are few animals that intrigue us quite as much as
the chimpanzee, and with good reason. We share 98
per cent of our genes with these intelligent primates,
making them our closest relatives. Affectionately known
as chimps, they live in groups of several dozen individuals
in the rainforests of Africa, where the thick canopy
towers high above the dark jungle. They spend their days

grooming each other on the forest floor or swinging from
branch to branch in search of food.
Sadly, chimpanzees have been listed as ‘Endangered’
by the IUCN for almost 20 years, and no conservation
effort as yet has been successful in getting them out of
the ‘danger zone’ and restoring populations to a safe level.
In fact, the number of chimpanzees left in the wild has
declined by at least 66 per cent over the last 30 years. It
is not known exactly how many chimpanzees there are
left in the wild, but estimates range from around 170,000
to 300,000 individuals.
By spending their days picking at their favourite fruits
and meandering through the forest, chimpanzees play an
important ecological role. They are able to disperse the
seeds that are too big for other animals to eat, helping to
shape their environment and maintain biodiversity.
As is the case with almost all endangered animals, the
impact of humans is to blame. Once abundant throughout
the rainforests and wet savannahs of Africa, human
activities have meant that chimpanzees are now extinct
in four African countries following high exploitation
and habitat destruction. The remaining populations
desperately need our help.

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