We, the undersigned, call for an end to the illegal hunting of chimpanzees, gorillas and other primates in Africa. The hunting of primates continues to decimate the populations of endangered primates.

Two male mountain gorillas were recently killed and eaten in Rwanda - today only 355 survive in the wild. In 1980 there were an estimated 100,000 bonobo chimpanzees in Congolese forests. In 1990, fewer than 10,000 were found. Today, after three years of military occupation, there may be as few as 3,000 remaining. Studies have concluded that bonobos are the primates closest to human beings, with whom they are said to share 98.6 percent of their genetic makeup.

Recent reports put the price of the meat at $7 for a half-ape - in the jungles it's cheaper than beef, easier to get than chicken, and deemed tastier than fish. "It's a bit tough, but it is better than cat ... and it is certainly better than nothing," says John, a middle-aged Congolese security guard. Bush meat hunters earn $300 to $1,000 a year in a country where the average family lives on $100 a year.

"The[bonobo babies] cry, they need their mothers, they get chicken pox, they look you in the eye and seem to say they understand a whole lot," says conservationist Claudine Andre, who manages a one-of-its-kind bonobos sanctuary on the outskirts of Kinshasa. "And they are being wiped out." Chimps are expected to disappear from five more countries, including the Congo, by the end of the decade.

We call on governments, and international agencies including the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, and the World Trade Organization, to to dramatically increase funding for projects that support, rather than undermine sustainable development in Africa. We call on the governments of Rwanda, Uganda, Congo and other African countries to take all measures possible to enforce anti-bush meat rules immediately and end the illegal hunting of primates. We call on consumers to learn more about the products they buy, and ensure that the purchases they make support rather than undermine efforts to protect wildlife. Finally, we endorse solutions to end the bushmeat crisis that not only protect animals, but also respond to the people in greatest need in the region.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned.