Angel For Animals » Plight of Primates

Plight of Primates

In the last post Donkeys in Spain, we looked at the problems facing donkeys in Spain. In this instalment, we take a look at a very disturbing fact concerning the primates that we share this planet with.

Angel for Animals Incredibly, a third of the entire world’s primate species now face the very real threat of total extinction. Eminent scientists warn that man’s closest relatives, those of the great apes, could really be extinct within 20 years if current trends continue.

The ongoing conflict between humans and wildlife is becoming increasingly common as the human population continues to grow and the natural habitat declines. Both people and primates are at great risk from the loss of our food sources, as well as increased disease transmission, injury and ultimately, death.

Conservationists are desperately endeavouring to develop several mitigation strategies that can both protect the endangered species, such as great apes, as well as to assist local peoples to improve their way of life. As you can imagine, this is a considerable challenge, especially when there is the consideration of crop raiding thrown into the mix.

For many centuries, the practice of hunting for bushmeat was a sustainable means of providing food for families and tribes. Nowadays however, the demand for bushmeat has risen steeply and, while primates such as gorillas and chimpanzees only make up a small proportion of the bushmeat trade, the overall effect on their population is quite devastating.

While there is no argument that people have to eat, conservationists are trying to encourage people to find viable alternative sources of food. To this end, the idea is to persuade local people that it is important to keep primates alive and in the wild. That way, greater levels of much-needed income can be far more readily generated through the tourism trade.

Another major problem for primates is the wholesale deforestation of their natural habitats and the worst culprits for the cause of this are the developed nations, as they are the main consumers of tropical hardwoods. The Forest Stewardship Council and organisations like them have independent monitoring schemes that are meant to determine which products are sourced from sustainable forests. If we in the developed countries are careful to choose these, then the loss of vital habitats will be greatly reduced.

Another problem that the tropical rainforests face is deforestation for fuel, primarily for cooking. One extremely viable answer to this is solar cookers which are devised from nothing but a foil-lined cardboard box which harnesses the sun’s rays to produce plenty of heat to cook any food. Solar cooking is being promoted by conservationists to help reduce the need for firewood in human settlements, especially those that are near primate habitats.

While these measures are a step in the right direction, they alone will not save these endangered animals. But what they can do is help enormously with the proper education and resources to implement them.

Terry Didcott
Angel For Animals