Jane Goodall, the legendary primatologist, who was studying chimpanzees for 50 years in the depth of African jungles, says that there is an urgent need for action to save chimpanzees from going extinct. According to an article that Jane Goodall wrote, she says that there is need to change our way of thinking about the natural world, and the advances made by science and technology if we want chimpanzees to survive.
It was in 1960 that Goodall first came to Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania to study chimpanzees; and she made groundbreaking discoveries about their social behaviors, fights, wars, cannabilism, and intelligence. These discoveries changed the way the scientific community used to perceive chimps, which are humans' closest living relatives. It also made humans realize how unique and different they were when compared to the animals.
However, as more information about chimps was learned, the threats to their lives have also increased. In the 1900s, there were over 1 million chimpanzees living in Africa, and now this number had dwindled down to less than 300,000. Some wildlife conservationists believe that in the next 30 years chimpanzees will become extinct. Unfortunately, the threats faced by chimpanzees are not just restricted to Gombe. They are threatened all across Africa, where ever chimps live. They are facing loss of habitat due to deforestation; and as chimps are coming more frequently in contact with humans, they are also highly susceptible to human diseases, such as flu and polio. In addition, chimps are further threatened by illegal bushmeat hunting.
According to another primatologist, Jill Pruetz of the Iowa State University, the biggest threat that the chimps are currently facing in Senegal is large scale mining in the area.
The Jane Goodall Institute has been working with people in Africa, who live in close proximity to chimps. The institute has been trying to resolve problems such as poverty, drought, soil erosion due to unsustainable farming practices, and lack of education, health care and clean drinking water. The institute believes that by addressing these problems, the villagers will help the institute protect the chimps.
Goodall believes that by helping people living close to the chimps, they are giving the villagers a reason to protect and preserve the chimpanzees. Other primatologists also agree with this approach, and hope that the people realize the importance of chimpanzees to the ecosystem that these villagers themselves are dependent upon.
Today, conservationists are making use of satellite images along with remote sensing data to get valuable information on the lives of chimpanzees and what they can do to protect them from going extinct. For instance, satellite images have revealed that chimpanzees hunt successfully in woodlands and semi deciduous forests compared to evergreen forests. So, conservationists are trying to protect woodlands and semi deciduous forests to increase the number of chimpanzees in the wild.
While the task of protecting chimpanzees is not easy, conservationists and wildlife experts believe that it can be done if sufficient funds and resources are made available.
It was in 1960 that Goodall first came to Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania to study chimpanzees; and she made groundbreaking discoveries about their social behaviors, fights, wars, cannabilism, and intelligence. These discoveries changed the way the scientific community used to perceive chimps, which are humans' closest living relatives. It also made humans realize how unique and different they were when compared to the animals.
However, as more information about chimps was learned, the threats to their lives have also increased. In the 1900s, there were over 1 million chimpanzees living in Africa, and now this number had dwindled down to less than 300,000. Some wildlife conservationists believe that in the next 30 years chimpanzees will become extinct. Unfortunately, the threats faced by chimpanzees are not just restricted to Gombe. They are threatened all across Africa, where ever chimps live. They are facing loss of habitat due to deforestation; and as chimps are coming more frequently in contact with humans, they are also highly susceptible to human diseases, such as flu and polio. In addition, chimps are further threatened by illegal bushmeat hunting.
According to another primatologist, Jill Pruetz of the Iowa State University, the biggest threat that the chimps are currently facing in Senegal is large scale mining in the area.
The Jane Goodall Institute has been working with people in Africa, who live in close proximity to chimps. The institute has been trying to resolve problems such as poverty, drought, soil erosion due to unsustainable farming practices, and lack of education, health care and clean drinking water. The institute believes that by addressing these problems, the villagers will help the institute protect the chimps.
Goodall believes that by helping people living close to the chimps, they are giving the villagers a reason to protect and preserve the chimpanzees. Other primatologists also agree with this approach, and hope that the people realize the importance of chimpanzees to the ecosystem that these villagers themselves are dependent upon.
Today, conservationists are making use of satellite images along with remote sensing data to get valuable information on the lives of chimpanzees and what they can do to protect them from going extinct. For instance, satellite images have revealed that chimpanzees hunt successfully in woodlands and semi deciduous forests compared to evergreen forests. So, conservationists are trying to protect woodlands and semi deciduous forests to increase the number of chimpanzees in the wild.
While the task of protecting chimpanzees is not easy, conservationists and wildlife experts believe that it can be done if sufficient funds and resources are made available.
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