With the species on a dire trajectory towards extinction, it is now more important than ever to ensure that the international ban on trade in these majestic creatures is enforced, implemented and adhered to, before it’s too late. Poachers typically slaughter ten adult chimps to ease the capturing process of infants, exacerbating the disappearance of this iconic species.Īlthough law enforcement efforts have increased in recent years in order to tackle the growing trade in chimps, it is still estimated that for every successful seizure, five to ten animals slip through the net and onto the black market. The capture of an infant chimpanzee has huge knock on effects for wild troops, whose close social structures ensure the survival and strength of many individuals. ![]() Growing demand for chimpanzees as pets and performers creates a lucrative industry for trafficking syndicates where infant chimpanzees can fetch over £10,000. The rescue, rehabilitation and release of chimps to the wild which have been removed from the illegal trade market.Greater protection, research and monitoring of chimpanzee populations.Greater enforcement and monitoring of import and export licences. ![]() A total ban on the international trade in chimps.This emphasises the lack of enforcement of an Appendix I species and the importance of imminent action.Īs a result, DSWF is actively campaigning and working to support: The ease in which international laws on buying and selling endangered species can be manipulated and falsified is also a factor.Īlthough given the greatest level of protection possible under CITES, a BBC investigation recently revealed how easy it is to buy export permits in some source countries, despite restricting regulations and international bans. Chimpanzees as Pets As infants, chimpanzees are affectionate, playful, and irresistibly cute. The illegal trade in chimps is made possible by the determination of smugglers who accept that rewards are currently higher than the associated risks. The education of communities is also key, to reinforce the message that chimpanzees are not for human entertainment or consumption.Īlthough classified as Appendix I by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), poaching remains rife across the African continent, with populations being driven further into isolated and more vulnerable locations. The need to focus on demand reduction strategies is essential to preserve this iconic species. In the last six years, over 14,000 chimpanzees have been lost to the illegal wildlife trade, with one chimpanzee being poached every four hours to satisfy consumer demand.Īs a direct result of human demand and encroachment, poaching, forest destruction and disease, our closest living relatives are on a direct trajectory towards extinction. Astonishingly, his victim, Charla Nash, survived, but you could argue that in many ways, her life too came to an abrupt end that day.Our Impact > Fighting Wildlife Crime > Wildlife trade and policy > Wildlife Trade Statements > Chimpanzee trade Chimpanzee trade David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation’s (DSWF) position on the international trade in chimpanzees. I can’t … He’s eating her! He’s eating her! Please! God! Please! Where are they? Where are they?” “Gun! They got to shoot him! Please! Please! Hurry! Hurry! Please! I can’t. “He-he ripped her face off! He's eating her face! the Western chimpanzee (listed as a Critically Endangered subspecies) and. "He ripped her apart! Hurry up! Hurry up! Please!” Herold breathlessly replies. into the little-known world of wild chimpanzees her discoveries into our. "Tell me, what is the monkey doing?," the operator asks as Travis's harrowing, almost gleeful, wails and screeches echo down the line. It's hard to know what is more chilling about Sandra Herold's 911 call - hearing her helpless sobbing as she reveals her pet chimp is "eating" her friend's face, or the ape's frenzied screams in the background.įor an excruciating 12 minutes, Sandra is heard pleading for police to rush to her home to shoot dead Travis, the animal she had raised as her own son for the previous 14 years, reports the Daily Star.
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