Our closest living relatives have suffered rapid population declines – and human activity is to blame

There are few animals that intrigue us quite as much as the chimpanzee, and with good reason. We share 98 per cent of our genes with these intelligent primates, making them our closest relatives. Affectionately known as chimps, they live in groups of several dozen individuals in the rainforests of Africa, where the thick canopy towers high above the dark jungle. They spend their days grooming each other on the forest floor or swinging from branch to branch in search of food.

Sadly, chimpanzees have been listed as ‘Endangered’ by the IUCN for almost 20 years, and no conservation effort as yet has been successful in getting them out of the ‘danger zone’ and restoring populations to a safe level. In fact, the number of chimpanzees left in the wild has declined by at least 66 per cent over the last 30 years. It is not known exactly how many chimpanzees there are left in the wild, but estimates range from around 170,000 to 300,000 individuals.

By spending their days picking at their favourite fruits and meandering through the forest, chimpanzees play an important ecological role. They are able to disperse the seeds that are too big for other animals to eat, helping to shape their environment and maintain biodiversity.

As is the case with almost all endangered animals, the impact of humans is to blame. Once abundant throughout the rainforests and wet savannahs of Africa, human activities have meant that chimpanzees are now extinct in four African countries following high exploitation and habitat destruction. The remaining populations desperately need our help.

Just like us

Our primate relatives share many traits with us, from making friends to making their bed

Chimpanzees are charismatic and highly intelligent beings that live in a similar way to us. Studies have shown they develop intricate social structures and are keen to make friends, as well as climb the social ladder to gain positions of authority within their groups.

In the same way humans make their beds each day (or at least they should), chimpanzees make a fresh sleeping nest high up in the trees every evening, constructed out of leaves. They also show emotional intelligence and are very caring toward members of their community, looking after each other’s young should they become orphaned or abandoned. Groups will form bonds with neighbouring groups and share food supplies in times of adversity.

There are four subspecies split by location: central, west African, Nigeria-Cameroon, and eastern chimpanzees. There is little physical difference between them, but different communities of chimpanzee have their own cultures and habits that they learn from their elders and pass on to younger generations.

With such a striking resemblance between man and ape, in both personality and looks, it is incredibly sad that the demise of our primate cousins is mainly down to our actions.

An uncertain future

Numerous threats mean chimpanzees face clanger from all angles

Deforestation is arguably the leading cause of population declines; trees are being felled at an alarming rate and the land is being transformed for agricultural use and development. A loss of habitat means less food for chimpanzees and fewer places for shelter, leaving them vulnerable to predators and hunters. Logging can also lead to fragmentation – the breaking up of habitats – isolating individuals and splitting up social groups.

“A loss of habitat means less food and fewer places for shelter, leaving them vulnerable”

The demand for bushmeat has also been increasing, with local people hunting the primates as a source of protein. A high demand for juveniles within the illegal pet trade has also encouraged the killing of adults in order to safely capture young chimps for sale on the black market. Poachers with their sights set on larger animals will often set snares and traps throughout the forests, but inadvertently catch chimpanzees in the process. As a result, these chimps can suffer from debilitating wounds or even die from infection.

As the human population increases, so does the need for resources. In equatorial Africa many mining sites have opened, which have drawn large numbers of workers to the area and increased human encroachment on the chimp’s habitat. As they share so much of our DNA, chimpanzees are highly susceptible to human diseases, so being in such close proximity to humans is hazardous.

At Jane Goodall’s research camp in Tanzania, many chimps have lost their lives to polio and the outbreak of Ebola has had a devastating impact on wild populations. A rise in tourism has seen an increase in the number of people coming into contact with chimpanzees, only increasing the risk of transmitting illness.

Saving the chimpanzee

These three organisations are leading the way for chimpanzee conservation:

Project Primate
Located in Guinea, West Africa, this organisation has founded a dedicated Chimpanzee Conservation Centre. They employ a three-step approach to help the chimpanzees they work with. First, chimps are rescued either as orphans of the bushmeat trade or survivors of the pet trade. They then undertake a lengthy rehabilitation process, which can take up to ten years. For the first several years, the chimps need lots of care and are taken out on daily bush walks by volunteers and integrated with other chimps. Once this is complete, Project Primate releases the successfully rehabilitated individuals back into the wild. Lastly, the volunteers spend time educating the local communities about the important role chimpanzees play within the environment.

Once chimps have been released, the Project Primate team have very little contact to minimise the risk of disease transmission and increase their chance of survival in the long term.

The Wild Chimpanzee Foundation
To ensure the chimpanzee’s survival, it is vital to protect their habitat. That is exactly what the Wild Chimpanzee Foundation is doing in West Africa. Setting up eco-patrols to help stop illegal deforestation by farmers ensures the chimps have the best possible chance, and also helps to deter poachers from unlawfully taking the chimps. In addition, the Foundation undertakes regular bio-monitoring checks to form up-to-date habitat management plans.
This means it can address any problems that arise in the chimp’s environment and ensure the quality of the habitat.
Knowledge is power, and this group is dedicated to monitoring population trends and primate activity regularly.

The Jane Goodall Institute

The Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) was founded in the US in 1977, and continues Dr Goodall’s pioneering studies on chimpanzee behavior – research that has transformed scientific perceptions of these endangered primates.
Today JGI is a global leader in the effort to protect chimpanzees and their habitats, and is widely recognised for establishing innovative community – centred conservation and development programmes in Africa, as well as founding Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots, a global environmental teaching programme for young people that has groups in more than 130 countries.

JGI UK was founded as a charity in 1988 with a mission to prevent the extinction of chimpanzees through research and community-focused conservation, alongside environmental and humanitarian education.

3 Things You Should Know About Chimpanzees

• Some of the only species known to use tools, chimpanzees will make sponges from chewed up leaves to drink water with.
• They are known to medicate themselves for various aliments by eating certain plants for medicinal value.
• Chimps are able to walk on all fours, called knuckle-walkin: however, they are also able to walk on two legs for more than 1km (0.6mi).