The World Wildlife Fund has announced that the chimpanzee is an endangered species. In fact, it has already been totally wiped out in four African countries-- Gambia, Burkina Faso, Benin, and Togo. Humans are mostly to blame.
The chimp used to flourish in the forests of most African countries. The Jane Goodall Foundation notes that there are only 150,000 to 300,000 left distributed among 25 countries in the region. Only five countries have significant populations-- Republic Democratic of Congo, Gabon, Central African Republic, Republic of Congo, and Cameroon. They warn that if nothing is done today about this, the chimpanzee could face extinction in the next 15 years.
There are several factors that contribute to this situation. The main reason is the loss of habitat due to the degradation of forests and deforestation. Another cause is the bushmeat industry where the chimp is collateral damage. They get caught in snares, sometimes killed, and their babies who were caught are sold as pets. A growing concern is also disease, particularly Ebola which has decimated populations of chimpanzees as well as gorillas.
The WWF, JGF, and the Save the Chimps Foundation along with other environmental foundations have set up activities to help raise funds to create chimp sanctuaries. However, the problem of the human factor affecting the chimp population has to be addressed.
The Population Reference Bureau says that local populations need to be educated better and be provided with better livelihood opportunities. This way, the people will resort to means of living that does not hurt the chimpanzee. The PRB also calls for the limiting of tourism in the areas to let the chimps have a more normal life in the wild.
The chimpanzee is a primate just like humans. To clarify, they are not monkeys as monkeys have tails. In fact, they have a 95% similarity in the DNA to the human being. In historical studies, the chimp has been known to use tools and have a language of their own.
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