Recipes for Survival_English_tcm46-28192

RECIPES FOR SURVIVALPRIMATE BUSHMEATWSPA/APE ALLIANCEMany baby great apes are fatally injured by the shots that kill their mother or by thefall from the forest canopy, but those that survive represent extra income to thehunters when they are traded as pets (IFAW & BCTF, 2003; IFAW 2005). They areusually kept and transported in deplorable conditions. A great number die, even if theyare rescued. Estimates suggest that for every chimpanzee, gorilla or bonobo enteringthe pet trade, 10 – 50 more will have died in hunting camps or en route to cities (IFAW& BCTF, 2003). Redmond (2002a) used a multiplier of 15 gorillas removed from thepopulation for each infant that reaches competent care, based on the 80 per centmortality of infants arriving at the Brazzaville gorilla orphanage prior to 1989, whenimproved veterinary care lowered this rate, and at least two adults being killed for eachinfant – thus: (1infant+2adults)x5=15 gorillas, one alive and 14 dead. This means thatthe six gorillas reported to have been held by Ibadan Zoo prior to shipment of theTaiping Four probably represented 84 dead gorillas, and 90 lost to the wild population.be more emotionally robust than gorillas and, as such, have been exploited to supplythe international pet trade. Between 1970 and 1976 (before CITES came into force),it is estimated that 1,582 chimps were shipped from Sierra Leone into Europe, Americaand Japan (WSPA, 1996). Governments often report a disincentive for enforcingappropriate laws regarding the pet trade, because there are insufficient facilitiesfor re-housing confiscated orphans.A growing number of primate sanctuaries are operating across Africa to rehabilitateorphaned victims of the bushmeat trade; several countries that no longer harbour wildpopulations of apes have also established sanctuaries simply to cater for individualsthat enter the country through international trade.The Pan African Sanctuary Alliance (PASA) was founded in 2000 to support thesesanctuaries and act as a hub for information sharing, fundraising and standardisationof values. PASA comprises 17 member sanctuaries as of March 2005, with plans for19 by June 2005 (Doug Cress, pers. comm.).Sanctuaries have been instrumental in securing areas of forest and effectivelyprotecting them from hunters, as well as successfully running rehabilitation and releaseprograms (IFAW & BCTF, 2003). But there are too few sanctuaries to adequately houseall confiscated animals, most existing sanctuaries have reached saturation levels anddo not have the capacity to accept more individuals. In other areas, there are noadequate facilities (DRC currently has good facilities only for bonobo orphans, althoughplans are in hand to improve this situation).4.4 Primates at riskAbove left: Infantchimpanzee forsale in bushmeatmarket, Libreville,Gabon.As highly evolved organisms, great apes are vulnerable to mental suffering and trauma.Many confiscated orphans are found with broken limbs, smashed teeth and broken jaws(indicating failed attempts to extract teeth to prevent biting), untreated open woundsfrom chains and other injuries, dehydration, malnourishment, infections and parasiticinfestations (IFAW & BCTF, 2003).In DRC, during the mid 1990s chimps were regularly offered for sale on roadsides foras little as $5, a tenth of their value elsewhere (WSPA, 1996). Chimps are thought toPrimates have a low rate of meat production relative to body size, and so hunting has aparticularly negative impact on this taxon. A list of primate species worldwide recordedas being hunted for bushmeat is included as Appendix 2.A recent study cited hunting as the most important cause for declines in Preuss’ redcolobus (Procolobus pennantii preussi), drill (Mandrillus leucophaeus leucophaeus) andcrowned monkey (Cercopithecus pogonias) in Korup National Park, South-westCameroon (Waltert et al, 2002). It is likely that this represents the situation for manymore species, although the density of some common and abundant species (forexample, greater white-nosed and moustached monkeys Cercopithecus nictitansand C. cephus) appears to be unaffected by hunting (White, 1994).Great apesThe hunting of great apes for sale and consumption has been recorded across most oftheir African range. Gorilla and chimpanzee meat is available on a daily basis in townsand villages across Central Africa. Harvesting rates are difficult to estimate because of© Ian Redmond© Ian Redmond48 49