<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1" ?>
                <rss version="2.0">
                    <channel>
                        <title>Ape Alliance</title>
                        <link>http://www.4apes.com/</link>
                        <description></description>
                        <language>en</language>
                        <image>
                            <title>Ape Alliance</title>
                            <url>http://www.4apes.com/news/images/bulletin-item.gif</url>
                            <link>http://www.4apes.com/</link>
                            <width>115</width>
                            <height>65</height>
                        </image><item>
                <title>Abseiling 4 Apes</title>
                <link>http://www.4apes.com/news/Abseiling-4-Apes-20120505.htm</link>
                <description><![CDATA[Ever fancied throwing yourself over a cliff dressed as a gorilla? Thanks to volunteers at Bristol University, some of whom are in the climbing club, this fun-fund-raiser was a great success (and the cakes and cookies were GREAT too).]]></description>
                <pubDate>Sat, 05 May 2012 00:00:01 GMT</pubDate>
            </item><item>
                <title>National Police Investigation in Tripa Now Active</title>
                <link>http://www.4apes.com/news/National-Police-Investigation-in-Tripa-N-20120505.htm</link>
                <description><![CDATA[These articles contain information on the latest news of the Tripa Swamp fires and of the court case that is now under review.
Ministry of Environment Group Review Tripa Swamp&nbsp;

Tripa Swamp Destroyer Can [be] Sentenced [to] 15 Years in Prison


Indonesia Aceh Police&nbsp;Question GeRAK Performance in the Case of Tripa Swamp
These articles are originally in Indonesian, translation provided by Google Translate.
]]></description>
                <pubDate>Sat, 05 May 2012 00:00:01 GMT</pubDate>
            </item><item>
                <title>Update on the status of the Tripa Swamp Habitat Destruction</title>
                <link>http://www.4apes.com/news/Update-on-the-status-of-the-Tripa-Swamp--20120427.htm</link>
                <description><![CDATA[This article is an update since a court ruling in March 2012 concerning the Tripa Swamp and the Leuser Ecosystem in Indonesia. The court ruling has been controversial and has been disastrous for the Orangutan population in the Tripa swamp area. An appeal is being built.]]></description>
                <pubDate>Fri, 27 Apr 2012 00:00:01 GMT</pubDate>
            </item><item>
                <title>INTERNATIONAL DAY OF ACTION 26th April 2012</title>
                <link>http://www.4apes.com/news/INTERNATIONAL-DAY-OF-ACTION-26th-April-2-20120425.htm</link>
                <description><![CDATA[
INTERNATIONAL DAY OF ACTION
calling on&nbsp;Indonesian President SBY&nbsp;to:
ENFORCE THE LAW
SAVE THE SUMATRAN ORANGUTANS
PROTECT THE TRIPA PEAT FORESTS
&nbsp;
ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS
&nbsp;
Thursday 26th April &ndash; Location: Worldwide
more information available:
http://endoftheicons.wordpress.com/

&nbsp;]]></description>
                <pubDate>Wed, 25 Apr 2012 00:00:01 GMT</pubDate>
            </item><item>
                <title>Rwanda: Rescued Baby Gorilla to Be Handed Over to DR Congo</title>
                <link>http://www.4apes.com/news/Rwanda-Rescued-Baby-Gorilla-to-Be-Handed-20120421.htm</link>
                <description><![CDATA[Bonny Mukombozi | AllAfrica | 21 April 2012&nbsp;
A lowland orphaned gorilla named Ihirwe rescued from traffickers by the Rwanda Police last year will be returned to the Democratic Republic of Congo.]]></description>
                <pubDate>Sat, 21 Apr 2012 00:00:01 GMT</pubDate>
            </item><item>
                <title>Ape Conservation Physiology: Fecal Glucocorticoid Responses in Wild Pongo pygmaeus morio following Human Visitation</title>
                <link>http://www.4apes.com/news/Ape-Conservation-Physiology-Fecal-Glucoc-20120406.htm</link>
                <description><![CDATA[Plos one | Muehlenbein et al. | March 2012
Nature-based tourism can generate important revenue to support conservation of biodiversity. However, constant exposure to tourists and subsequent chronic activation of stress responses can produce pathological effects, including impaired cognition, growth, reproduction, and immunity in the same animals we are interested in protecting. Utilizing fecal samples (N = 53) from 2 wild habituated orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus morio) (in addition to 26 fecal samples from 4 wild unhabituated orangutans) in the Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo, we predicted that i) fecal glucocorticoid metabolite concentrations would be elevated on the day after tourist visitation (indicative of normal stress response to exposure to tourists on the previous day) compared to samples taken before or during tourist visitation in wild, habituated orangutans, and ii) that samples collected from habituated animals would have lower fecal glucocorticoid metabolites than unhabituated animals not used for tourism. Among the habituated animals used for tourism, fecal glucocorticoid metabolite levels were significantly elevated in samples collected the day after tourist visitation (indicative of elevated cortisol production on the previous day during tourist visitation). Fecal glucocorticoid metabolite levels were also lower in the habituated animals compared to their age-matched unhabituated counterparts. We conclude that the habituated animals used for this singular ecotourism project are not chronically stressed, unlike other species/populations with documented permanent alterations in stress responses. Animal temperament, species, the presence of coping/escape mechanisms, social confounders, and variation in amount of tourism may explain differences among previous experiments. Acute alterations in glucocorticoid measures in wildlife exposed to tourism must be interpreted conservatively. While permanently altered stress responses can be detrimental, preliminary results in these wild habituated orangutans suggest that low levels of predictable disturbance can likely result in low physiological impact on these animals.
&nbsp;]]></description>
                <pubDate>Fri, 06 Apr 2012 00:00:01 GMT</pubDate>
            </item><item>
                <title>Latest news regarding Tripa Peat Swamp destruction</title>
                <link>http://www.4apes.com/news/Latest-news-regarding-Tripa-Peat-Swamp-d-20120329.htm</link>
                <description><![CDATA[A press conference was held in Jakarta on the 28th March 2012 regarding the destruction of the Tripa peat swamps. &nbsp;The&nbsp;press release&nbsp;can be downloaded here&nbsp;as well as a&nbsp;list of demands&nbsp;to prevent the extinction of the Tripa orangutans. We also attach a more detailed report on the ongoing firestorm there. You can download an update of the current situation&nbsp;here.In addition to these, there is a selection of photos of the fires available for download at&nbsp;http://www.2shared.com/file/QoELpGVd/Tripa.htmlHD film footage of the fires is also available on request.For future reference there is a dedicated website and facebook page being updated continuously with news and photos etc as they come in.These are:www.endoftheicons.wordpress.com
http://www.facebook.com/savetripa
]]></description>
                <pubDate>Thu, 29 Mar 2012 00:00:01 GMT</pubDate>
            </item><item>
                <title>Research Chimpanzees May Get a Break</title>
                <link>http://www.4apes.com/news/Research-Chimpanzees-May-Get-a-Break-20120327.htm</link>
                <description><![CDATA[
PLoS
Biology | Frans B.M. de Waal | March 2012
When New Zealand, in 2000,
became the first nation to pass legislation against research on the great apes,
and Spain adopted a resolution to grant these animals legal rights, both
decisions were hailed as substantial progress even though neither country conducted
any actual ape research. I could not resist remarking to a Spanish journalist
that I would have been more impressed had they abolished bullfighting. It is
only when the Netherlands and Japan passed similar laws that the movement to
improve the status of apes began to make a difference, because both countries
outlawed what they had been practicing. With euthanasia ruled out as a means of
population control, both governments faced the expensive need to find a home
for ex-laboratory chimpanzees (Pan
troglodytes), some of which required special precautions and
care as they had been infected with HIV or hepatitis C.
&nbsp;]]></description>
                <pubDate>Tue, 27 Mar 2012 00:00:01 GMT</pubDate>
            </item><item>
                <title>Tripa Peat Swamp Press Release by WALHI/Friends of the Earth Indonesia</title>
                <link>http://www.4apes.com/news/Tripa-Peat-Swamp-Press-Release-by-WALHIF-20120323.htm</link>
                <description><![CDATA[
Press Release
Issued by: WALHI/Friends of the Earth Indonesia
Jakarta, 23 March 2012.
PT Kallista Alam scandal in Tripa highlights lack of transparency in revision of the Moratorium Map: promised investigation into suspicious changes not yet materialised.
In May, 2010 Indonesia and Norway signed a Letter of Intent, in which Indonesia stated its intent to reduce emissions from forest and peatland conversions, including a 2-year moratorium on new concessions for converting peatlands and natural forests, while Norway would provide $1 billion to assist Indonesia with establishing REDD projects. The 2-year moratorium was established through Presidential Instruction 10/2011, and the first revision of the &ldquo;Moratorium on New Permits&rdquo; Map was issued by the Indonesian Minister of Forestry at the end of November, 2011. The map shows the areas of primary forest (in green) and peat lands (in pink) that are effectively off limits and protected from any new exploitation permits.
]]></description>
                <pubDate>Fri, 23 Mar 2012 00:00:01 GMT</pubDate>
            </item><item>
                <title>Palm oil case against 'Green Governor' in Indonesia heats up</title>
                <link>http://www.4apes.com/news/Palm-oil-case-against-Green-Governor-in--20120322.htm</link>
                <description><![CDATA[&nbsp;
Rhett A Butler | Mongaby | March 2012
Environmental activists have launched an urgent appeal calling for a "just decision" in a court case that has pitted Aceh's "Green Governor" and palm oil developers against efforts to save endangered orangutans in a Sumatran peat forest.&nbsp;
&nbsp;]]></description>
                <pubDate>Thu, 22 Mar 2012 00:00:01 GMT</pubDate>
            </item><item>
                <title>Sex-Addicted Bonobo Apes Facing Extinction</title>
                <link>http://www.4apes.com/news/Sex-Addicted-Bonobo-Apes-Facing-Extincti-20120317.htm</link>
                <description><![CDATA[Sex-Addicted Bonobo Apes Facing Extinction
Tom Parmenter|Sky News|March 2012
A species of ape is on the brink of extinction -&nbsp;even though they are addicted to sex.]]></description>
                <pubDate>Sat, 17 Mar 2012 00:00:01 GMT</pubDate>
            </item><item>
                <title>NIH Expects to Have New Policies for Research Using Chimpanzees Next Year </title>
                <link>http://www.4apes.com/news/NIH-Expects-to-Have-New-Policies-for-Res-20120316.htm</link>
                <description><![CDATA[
Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News |
Alex Phillipidis | March 2012 NIH&nbsp;says
it will need more than a year to develop new policies to allow chimpanzees in
biomedical research "only under stringent conditions," as suggested by the
Institute of Medicine (IOM) and National Research Council of the National
Academies.
&nbsp;]]></description>
                <pubDate>Fri, 16 Mar 2012 00:00:01 GMT</pubDate>
            </item><item>
                <title>Wildlife or crop production: the dilemma of conservation and human livelihoods in Serengeti, Tanzania</title>
                <link>http://www.4apes.com/news/Wildlife-or-crop-production-the-dilemma--20120313.htm</link>
                <description><![CDATA[Iddi M. Mfunda and Eivin R&oslash;skaft | International Journal of Biodiversity Science,Ecosystem Services &amp; Management | March 2011
Wildlife or crop production: the dilemma of conservation and human livelihoods in Serengeti, Tanzania
Crop-raiding by wildlife is a common concern in areas where agriculture plays an important role for sustaining rural livelihoods. Different techniques have been used to prevent crop loss by wildlife. This study examined wildlife crop damage as reported and experienced by people in villages surrounding Serengeti National Park (SNP). The results showed that generally crop production was not the only important economic activity people relied on. We conclude that hunting could be an alternative to crop production. Furthermore, education, employment status, wealth, immigration status and location in&#64258;uenced crop production signi&#64257;cantly. Perceptions towards problematic wildlife varied between districts, but smallto medium-sized wildlife were perceived most problematic to crop production. Furthermore, respondents identi&#64257;ed climate change factors and inadequate agriculture extension services to affect crop production. The study proposes further development of income-generating activities such as beekeeping and ecotourism as alternatives to crop production. These natural resources-based activities address food insecurity and increase livelihood options. Compensation for extreme cases of crop destruction and improved capacity and delivery of extension services could make agriculture around Serengeti more sustainable.]]></description>
                <pubDate>Tue, 13 Mar 2012 00:00:01 GMT</pubDate>
            </item><item>
                <title>Group aims to save orangutans</title>
                <link>http://www.4apes.com/news/Group-aims-to-save-orangutans-20120313.htm</link>
                <description><![CDATA[   
Northern Star | March 2012
AFTER successfully raising the funds to buy a
chunk of the Daintree Forest to protect it from development, Northern Rivers
group Rainforest Rescue is now
on a mission to save orangutans at Sumatra.
Rainforest Rescue chief executive officer Kelvin
Davies said the organisation wanted to raise $60,000 by April 13 to protect and
restore 60 hectares of orangutan habitat at Sumatra.
]]></description>
                <pubDate>Tue, 13 Mar 2012 00:00:01 GMT</pubDate>
            </item><item>
                <title>Genomic Tools for Evolution and Conservation in the Chimpanzee: Pan troglodytes ellioti Is a Genetically Distinct Population</title>
                <link>http://www.4apes.com/news/Genomic-Tools-for-Evolution-and-Conserva-20120301.htm</link>
                <description><![CDATA[Bowden. R et al | PLoS Genetics | 1 March 2012
&nbsp;
   
In spite of its evolutionary
significance and conservation importance, the population structure of the
common chimpanzee, Pan troglodytes, is still poorly understood. An issue
of particular controversy is whether the proposed fourth subspecies of
chimpanzee, Pan troglodytes ellioti, from parts of Nigeria and Cameroon,
is genetically distinct. Although modern high-throughput SNP genotyping has had
a major impact on our understanding of human population structure and
demographic history, its application to ecological, demographic, or
conservation questions in non-human species has been extremely limited. Here we
apply these tools to chimpanzee population structure, using ~700 autosomal SNPs
derived from chimpanzee genomic data and a further ~100 SNPs from targeted
re-sequencing. We demonstrate conclusively the existence of P. t. ellioti as a genetically distinct subgroup. We show that there is clear differentiation
between the verus, troglodytes, and ellioti populations at
the SNP and haplotype level, on a scale that is greater than that separating
continental human populations. Further, we show that only a small set of SNPs
(10&ndash;20) is needed to successfully assign individuals to these populations.
Tellingly, use of only mitochondrial DNA variation to classify individuals is
erroneous in 4 of 54 cases, reinforcing the dangers of basing demographic
inference on a single locus and implying that the demographic history of the
species is more complicated than that suggested analyses based solely on mtDNA.
In this study we demonstrate the feasibility of developing economical and
robust tests of individual chimpanzee origin as well as in-depth studies of
population structure. These findings have important implications for
conservation strategies and our understanding of the evolution of chimpanzees.
They also act as a proof-of-principle for the use of cheap high-throughput
genomic methods for ecological questions.
]]></description>
                <pubDate>Thu, 01 Mar 2012 00:00:01 GMT</pubDate>
            </item></channel>
                </rss> 


