Chimpanzees in Sanctuaries Reflect Widespread Smuggling

It makes sense. The chimpanzee population is decreasing in the wild, but their numbers are increasing in sanctuaries. There are more rescues because there is more smuggling.

Research shows this is what's happening in Cameroon.

Internet Exploits Cameroon's Primates

Illegal wildlife traffickers provide fake credentials to establish that primates are being legitimately offered for sale. Their ads claim that the primate comes with "veterinary health documents, a "permit" from CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) and a year's health care guarantee. This is totally fraudulent, however, because CITES bans international trade and does not issues such permits.

And let's not even talk about all the internet sales of trophies and animal parts.

Just another threat to already endangered primates.

African Activists Work to Save Gorillas

Bushmeat is horrific, especially the trade in apes. To me, eating apes of any kind is akin to human cannibalism.

At least there are activists in African countries themselves that are working to stop this practice. The Last Great Ape Organization in Cameroon is only one of them, but it's the only law enforcement nongovernmental organization in Africa.

Cameroon Sets Up Park for Gorillas

Let's keep our fingers crossed that it provides effective protection.

Cameroon, with one of Africa’s highest rates of deforestation, has set up a new national park to protect gorillas, chimpanzees, elephants and a rare type of antelope called bongo.

Deng Deng National Park extends 580 square kilometres (224 square miles), an area about the size of Chicago, and will help conserve some 600 western lowland gorillas, one of four sub- species of the great ape, said the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society, which helped in the park’s creation.

Cameroon Gorillas Make it Home!

Yay! Four gorillas make it back home to Cameroon! Many thanks to the Cameroon government for its perserverance in this long saga.

Cameroon has welcomed home four endangered western lowland gorillas known as the "Taiping Four", following an international campaign that won their return from Malaysia, where they were illegally smuggled five years ago.

The four, a male and three females, were flown to Douala airport late on Friday from South Africa, where they had been kept at the National Zoological Garden in Pretoria after the Malaysian government sent them back to Africa in 2004.

Malaysia' Taiping Zoo had acquired the apes after they were trapped as infants in Cameroon's forests in 2002 and illegally smuggled out of the central African country.

DNA tests established they came from Cameroon, whose government launched an intense diplomatic lobbying campaign for their return, backed by international conservation groups that seek to protect endangered primates.

"This is a victory for our diplomacy. This is proof of our commitment to the principle of the protection of our wildlife," Cameroon's Minister of Forestry and Wildlife, Elvis Ngolle Ngolle, told reporters at Douala airport as the gorillas were unloaded in big cages from the plane.

...After their arrival, the gorillas were taken to the Limbe Wildlife Centre sanctuary. They will initially be freed into a quarantine facility before joining 11 other gorillas at the sanctuary in a special enclosure.

Let's hope they live safely for many, many years, safe from poachers, bush-meaters, hunters and all other harm.

Photo by Tomskeeee.