Great Apes

“Nearly 3,000 chimpanzees, gorillas, bonobos and orangutans are illegally killed or stolen from the wild each year, according to a new report from the United Nations Environmental Programme’s (UNEP) Great Apes Survival Partnership (GASP). The report . . . links the activity to organized crime and the same international trade routes used by gunrunners, drug smugglers and money launderers . . . The majority of these ‘takes’ are for the illegal pet market or to disreputable zoos or tourist attractions, where they rarely survive the stress of capture, transfer and sale. For every ape that makes it to its final destination, many more have likely been killed; during hunts as many as 10 chimpanzees die for every one that is caught alive. The report says this illegal activity has grown dramatically in recent years. . . . ‘Great apes are extremely important for the health of forests in Africa and Asia, and even the loss of 10 or 20 at a time can have a deep impact on biodiversity.’”