Page 83 - World of Animals - Issue #28 Magazine
P. 83
An uncertain future Saving the chimpanzee
These three organisations are leading the way for
Numerous threats mean chimpanzees face danger from all angles chimpanzee conservation
Project Primate
Deforestation is arguably the leading cause of chimpanzees in the process. As a result, these Located in Guinea, West Africa, this
population declines; trees are being felled at an chimps can suffer from debilitating wounds or organisation has founded a dedicated
alarming rate and the land is being transformed even die from infection. Chimpanzee Conservation Centre. They
for agricultural use and development. A loss of As the human population increases, so does employ a three-step approach to help
habitat means less food for chimpanzees and the need for resources. In equatorial Africa the chimpanzees they work with. First,
fewer places for shelter, leaving them vulnerable many mining sites have opened, which have chimps are rescued either as orphans of
to predators and hunters. Logging can also lead drawn large numbers of workers to the area and the bushmeat trade or survivors of the
to fragmentation – the breaking up of habitats – increased human encroachment on the chimp’s pet trade. They then undertake a lengthy
isolating individuals and splitting up social groups. habitat. As they share so much of our DNA, rehabilitation process, which can take up
The demand for bushmeat has also been chimpanzees are highly susceptible to human to ten years. For the first several years, the
increasing, with local people hunting the diseases, so being in such close proximity to chimps need lots of care and are taken
primates as a source of protein. A high demand humans is hazardous. At Jane Goodall’s research out on daily bush walks by volunteers and
for juveniles within the illegal pet trade has camp in Tanzania, many chimps have lost their integrated with other chimps. Once this
also encouraged the killing of adults in order lives to polio and the outbreak of Ebola has had is complete, Project Primate releases the
to safely capture young chimps for sale on the a devastating impact on wild populations. A rise successfully rehabilitated individuals back
black market. Poachers with their sights set on in tourism has seen an increase in the number of into the wild. Lastly, the volunteers spend
larger animals will often set snares and traps people coming into contact with chimpanzees, time educating the local communities
throughout the forests, but inadvertently catch only increasing the risk of transmitting illness. about the important role chimpanzees
play within the environment.
Once chimps have been released, the
“A loss of habitat means less food and fewer Project Primate team have very little
places for shelter, leaving them vulnerable” contact, to minimise the risk of disease
transmission and increase their chance of
survival in the long term.
The Wild Chimpanzee Foundation
To ensure the chimpanzee’s survival, it is
vital to protect their habitat. That is exactly
what the Wild Chimpanzee Foundation is
doing in West Africa. Setting up eco-patrols
to help stop illegal deforestation by farmers
ensures the chimps have the best possible
chance, and also helps to deter poachers
from unlawfully taking the chimps. In
addition, the Foundation undertakes
regular bio-monitoring checks to form
up-to-date habitat management plans.
This means it can address any problems
that arise in the chimp’s environment and
ensure the quality of the habitat.
Knowledge is power, and this group is
dedicated to monitoring population trends
and primate activity regularly.
The Jane Goodall Institute
The Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) was
founded in the US in 1977, and continues
Dr Goodall’s pioneering studies on
chimpanzee behaviour — research that
has transformed scientific perceptions
of these endangered primates. Today
JGI is a global leader in the effort
to protect chimpanzees and their
habitats, and is widely recognised for
establishing innovative community-
centred conservation and development
programmes in Africa, as well as founding
Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots, a global
environmental teaching programme for
young people that has groups in more
than 130 countries. JGI UK was founded
as a charity in 1988 with a mission to
ABOVE
Much of the prevent the extinction of chimpanzees
chimpanzee’s habitat through research and community-focused
is being cleared for conservation, alongside environmental and
growing crops
humanitarian education.
83
