SAVE CHIMPANZEE IN NATURE
- by: Cheyenne Thunderbird
- recipient: WWF
Why are Chimps (Chimpanzees) Endangered?
Chimpanzees, commonly called chimps belong to the Hominidae family. Their biological nomenclature is Pan (which means all) Troglodytes (which means cave dwellers). They belong to the same family as gorillas, humans and orangutans. There are two species of chimpanzees. One is the common chimpanzee and the other is the "Pygmy Chimpanzee" or Bonobo. The tropical forests of western and central Africa, with Gambia on its west and Uganda on its east are the most suitable natural habitats for chimpanzees. Within the tropical forests, they mainly live in open savanna woodlands, grasslands and rainforests.
Based on the geographical location of their habitat, chimps are categorized into three different subspecies. These include the central chimpanzees from central Africa, the western chimpanzees from west-central Africa and the eastern chimpanzees from east-central Africa. All these three species are endangered.
Based on the geographical location of their habitat, chimps are categorized into three different subspecies. These include the central chimpanzees from central Africa, the western chimpanzees from west-central Africa and the eastern chimpanzees from east-central Africa. All these three species are endangered.
The reasons that pose major threats to this endangered species are massive destruction of their natural habitat, capturing them for the purpose of trading and hunting them down for the consumption of their meat. Let's look at each one briefly.
Destruction of Habitat: There was a time when more than one million chimpanzees used to live in the forests of at least 25 countries in Africa. At present the figure has gone down to as low as 200,000 approximately. The drastic decrease in the number of chimpanzees began in 1960. Now, there are hardly 6 countries in Africa, which have the healthy conditions required for the breeding of wild animal species. The remaining countries have destroyed their forestland to convert them into farmlands. Massive cutting of forest trees have taken place to supply logs to various industries and to build new roads.
Unlawful Captivation: Chimps are caught illegally and sold as pets. Young chimps look really cute and adorable. However, it is unethical to keep them in cages in our homes. After all, they are wild animals and they need to dwell in their natural environment. Unfortunately, most chimps get caught by their captors before they reach the age of five and thus spend the rest of their lives inside coops in miserable conditions. Conservationists have estimated that to save a single baby chimp from the captors, on an average, ten chimps get killed in the process. The mother chimp and other relatives make desperate attempts to protect their young.
Slaughtering of Chimps for Meat: People who live in and around forests hunt down the chimps to obtain bushmeat. These people kill these harmless creatures not only for their own consumption but also for the purpose of trading, which is mostly illegal. Customers are ready to pay a huge sum of money to eat these meats. The sellers make large profits at the cost of endangering the survival of an entire species. It is estimated at least 4000 chimps are killed every year. Such mass killing is the biggest threat that chimps are facing, which may jeopardize the existence of these animals on this planet.
Several conservationists are trying to spread awareness among people and save these endangered animals from extinction. There are striking resemblances in the behavior of chimps and humans. Studying the biology of these animals can provide us a lot of valuable information regarding our ancestry. Therefore, we should make special efforts to save chimps from extinction and contribute in solving the mysteries of our social development
Several conservationists are trying to spread awareness among people and save these endangered animals from extinction. There are striking resemblances in the behavior of chimps and humans. Studying the biology of these animals can provide us a lot of valuable information regarding our ancestry. Therefore, we should make special efforts to save chimps from extinction and contribute in solving the mysteries of our social development
I write this later
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