A Threat to Our Closest Relatives

Chimpanzees live in the forests and savannahs of Africa. They are highly intelligent and social animals and are said to be the closest relatives of humans as they share over 95 percent to 98 percent of the same DNA as humans. Once found in the 25 countries of Africa, they are now a threatened species and have gone extinct in three to four African countries.

The chimpanzee is listed on the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List of threatened species as a critically endangered species. In the 20th century, the wild chimp population was around 1 million but today it is estimated to be 1,72,000 to 3,00,000 wild chimps. It is also estimated that if threats to these magnificent apes continues then they may get extinct in the next three to four decades.

Despite our shared lineage, humans are pushing chimpanzees towards extinction. Today the main threats to chimpanzees are habitat loss, poaching for illegal pet trade and for bushmeat and spread of diseases. All of these are induced by human beings.

Since chimps are closely related to humans they are also prone to 140 human diseases. As the increasing population, more and more people are living in areas closer to them which poses a threat of spread of fatal diseases from humans to chimps and vice-versa. For example in 2002 with the outbreak of Ebola in Africa, it started to spread not only among humans but apes as well which dreadfully affected their population. The disease reportedly had a great impact in Odzala National Park, a site known to have the highest density of great apes in Africa. The chimpanzees were among the most affected great apes.

Habitat loss as said in another blog is a major threat to wildlife and chimpanzees are no exception to that. Large tracts of forest are cut down for resources and to be used for agricultural purposes. This leaves these great apes to be vulnerable to other predators and most importantly to humans. The remaining habitat patches are often small and unconnected leaving chimpanzee population isolated and in danger of inbreeding.

According to a study, it was found that destroying forests to make roads makes it difficult for the chimpanzees to move freely. Chimpanzees are highly intelligent animals and they prefer to stay away from roads to avoid any sort of human-chimpanzee conflict. Chimpanzees usually feed on wild fruits and deforestation not only takes away their natural habitat but also their food sources. This forces them to enter agricultural areas and target crops for food. It was suggested that some critical areas where high density of chimps are found should be set aside to allow their natural habitat to regenerate along with wild fruits which is a part of their diet. This will not only benefit the chimps but also humans as chimps will not target agricultural areas and it will also allow wild medicinal plants to grow back which are no longer available. It was also suggested that swamps should be conserved as they provide a safe cover for chimpanzees. This can be a way to co-exist with them.

The third and the most anent threat to these beautiful apes is hunting. The main reasons for hunting are illegal pet trade and for bushmeat (Bushmeat is a phrase used for meat of wild animals). Hunters capture infant chimpanzees but it is not that easy. Since chimpanzees are social animals and they understand feelings like love and family, they try to protect the infants and lose their lives against the poachers who are heavily armed. Now the grim reality is that the chimpanzees killed are eaten away. These infants are then sold illegally for high prices. Imagine the mental state of infant chimpanzees when their family members are killed by their side. This is barbarity at its max. The saddest part is in order to save infant chimps many people even buy them without realizing that it emboldens the hunters and poachers to massacre another innocent chimpanzee family.

The emerging industries like logging, mining and the palm oil industry in West Africa requires large scale deforestation which leaves chimpanzees and many other animals vulnerable and thus an easy catch for the hunters. The hunters use this golden opportunity to recklessly kill any moving or flying animal for bushmeat or to illegally sell it for pet trade.

Like any other being, chimpanzees also play a vital role in our ecosystem. Chimpanzees help as seed dispersers. They consume fruits and defecate seeds in different parts of the forest. The large seeds that they ingest are too big for any other animal found in their environment and many species of plants depend on big animals like chimps to spread their species across the forest.

The other reasons why chimpanzees are still exploited include lack of awareness among the locals and weak enforcement of law. The government should implement conservation action plans and educational programmes to educate people about conservation and preservation of these exquisite animals. More sustainable and efficient logging and mining practices should be adopted. The wildlife laws should be imposed rigorously and stern actions should be taken against the defaulters. Government should also pay close heed to poaching for illegal pet trade and for bushmeat.

It is our duty to save chimpanzees not only because they are closely related to humans but also because they play a vital role in maintaining the diversity of the forests of Africa. We need to fathom that they have the right to inherit on this beautiful planet as much as we do. We need to respect, preserve and conserve them.