22/01/2010

The population of chimpanzees across
western Africa has decreased by 75% in the past 30 years, due in  
part to widespread chimp hunting. New strategies are needed to curb this  
illegal activity, experts say.


Research published in BioMed Central's open access journal BMC Ecology
suggests that genetics may provide valuable clues as to how to crack
down on the animal smuggling trade, while also helping to safely
reintroduce rescued apes into the wild.

A smuggler can get up to US $20,000 for a live chimpanzee on the
international black market and around US $100 in the local market in
Cameroon. It's perhaps not surprising then that despite the  
existence of enforced wildlife protection laws, smugglers in this poor country will
risk the penalties.

In a collaboration between the University at Albany, State University of
New York and Limbe Wildlife Centre in Cameroon, researchers have been
comparing genetic sequences from rescued chimpanzees with those of  
their wild counterparts across several areas of the country and its border
with Nigeria. In doing so, they hoped to determine where the rescued
chimps come from and thereby assess whether smuggling was a widespread
problem, or if hunting hotspots existed.

Lead scientist Mary Katherine Gonder said, "The data that we collected
were put into a sophisticated computer program that mapped out the
origins of the rescued chimpanzees. We found that all the rescued  
chimps were from Cameroon, implying that international smuggling is less of a
problem than local trade. Worryingly though, the problem seems to  
occur throughout Cameroon, with some rescued chimps even coming from  
protected areas."

Chimps are often taken while hunters poach other animals, many of  
which are also endangered, so it is hoped that by identifying hunting  
patterns in smuggling routes the study could help reduce other illegal animal
trade. Since as many as ten chimpanzees are killed for every one  
that is rescued, the findings of this study could have a significant impact on
the restoration of the population.

Happily, for those chimpanzees that are rescued, the genetic information
obtained in the study will also help to reunite them with their
relatives in the wild. According to Gonder, "Most of the chimpanzees  
at Limbe Wildlife Centre belong to the most endangered subspecies of
chimpanzee. They only inhabit Nigeria and adjacent parts of  
Cameroon. In 2004, this subspecies was predicted to be extinct within the next 25
years if current rates of decline continue. For these reasons,
understanding where these refuge chimps are from is really important
from a conservation point of view."


Lora Ghobrial, Felix Lankester, John A Kiyang, Akih E Akih, Simone de
Vries, Roger Fotso, Elizabeth L Gadsby, Peter D Jenkins Jr and Mary K
Gonder. Tracing the origins of rescued chimpanzees reveals widespread
chimpanzee hunting in Cameroon. BMC Ecology, 2010;

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100122002338.htm