Best Opinion Ever on Humans and Nature

At least to me. Read it yourself as I can't do it justice. It's by a Ugandan political scientist.

I'm sure it will make a lot of people angry. But it crystallizes the conclusions I've been heading towards for the last 40 years.

By the way, if you ever read Jared Diamond's Collapse, you'll understand why I also think this is the perfect response to his book. He wants to save the planet for humans alone. I believe we have not earned that privilege.

(Bea, I tried to email this directly to you, but your email kicked it back!)

Uganda Benefits from Mountain Gorilla Survival

Uganda is seeing a growth in tourism dollars from visits to see its mountain gorillas. This is very important. The tourism revenue creates an incentive for Uganda to protect the endangered species at the same time that it contributes to human welfare.

This is a kind of symbiotic relationship that only benefits both members of the relationship. Lets hope it continues to flourish. There are only about 700 mountain gorillas left in the world.

Chimps Helping Humans Again - Whether They Want to Or Not

Interesting article about the apparent ability of chimps to self-medicate and science's attempts to co-opt their knowledge to make pharmaceutical drugs (and money!)

Ugandan and French scientists have for months been observing the behaviour of a group of chimpanzees whose uncanny aptitude for self-medication could help their human cousins discover new drugs.

The great apes' ability to treat ailments by adjusting their diet has long been observed by scientists, including world-renowned primatologist Jane Goodall, but a project in Uganda's Kibale forest offers a unique opportunity for pharmaceutical research.

"It's the first time that a chimpanzee observation aimed at discovering new medicine for humans is conducted within a scientific framework," said Sabrina Krief, a French veterinary and professor at the Paris National History Museum....

The key moment in the observation is when one among the group of around 50 chimps she monitors gets sick.

The primate's choice of food -- what he pulls out of his medicine chest -- is packed with information that could lead the scientists to new discoveries.

"We want to compare which plants are used by the traditional healers or traditional practitioners, and the medicines used by chimpanzees. Is there a relation for the kind of treatment they go for?," Kasenene said.

"What is surprising to me is that these chimps have no chemist, no lab... They simply move in and collect plants and eventually find themselves getting cured," the 27-year-old marvelled. "It's a proof that they are very close to us."

I'm a cynic and I know it. As soon as I read this article, which should have been inspiring, here was my first thought, "Here we go again....science admiring and leaching off the ingrained knowledge of animals, only to later disavow their similarity to humans and stick them in labs."

As long as their freedom serves our benefit, we keep them in the wild. As soon as our needs require their sacrifice, all bets are off.

Photo by emeybee.

One Ugandan's View of the Mountain Gorilla

This is an opinion piece by Ugandan journalist and advocate Moses Sserwanga regarding the recent killing of three female mountain gorillas and one male silverback gorilla in the Virunga National Park along the Uganda-DR Congo border. He is highly critical of the Ugandan government and its lack of effort to protect these animals. It is very frustrating to read the following....

Veteran activists are sunk in gloom –resigned to the back seat as our wildlife slides into absurdity. So what’s the cause of the wildlife crack-up? The obvious cause for this is the government’s flouting of the law and its failure to put in place a well articulated policy on environment conservation and wildlife protection. The government has both quietly and publicly encouraged or condoned illegal activity in the national protected areas like Mabira and Queen Elizabeth National Park where hundreds of herdsmen continue to occupy a wildlife sanctuary.

This ineptitude can perhaps explain why government kept silent while the rest of the world was mourning the brutal killing of three female mountain gorillas and one male silverback gorilla in the Virunga National Park along the Uganda-DR Congo border.

What is great thoughis that he makes the economic argument in favor of the mountain gorillas' protection. It would be great if people followed morals and ethics, but we live in a society where money speaks louder than any family tie or human value.

According to the International Gorilla Conservation Programme (IGCP) – a coalition of the Fauna & Flora International, African Wildlife Foundation and the World Wide Fund for Nature- the annual revenue earned directly from gorilla tourism is estimated at $3 million.

When combined with the additional income received by, for example, hotels and restaurants, the total figure may exceed $20 million shared between Uganda , Rwanda, and DR Congo.

Therefore the long-term success of gorilla tourism hinges on the enthusiasm and commitment of government and the local communities around the parks to protect these animals.

Photo by Nailbender