Recipes for Survival_English_tcm46-28192

WSPA/APE ALLIANCERECIPES FOR SURVIVALpopulation is now thought to be about 7,500 (PHVA, 2004). It is estimated, however,that since 1998, some 1,000 Sumatran orangutans have been lost annually and if thisrate continues, clearly extinction would be expected within a decade.Bornean Orangutan Pongo pygmaeusThe 1993 Population and Habitat Viability Assessment concluded that only10,200 – 15,500 orangutans remained in Borneo, but this lacked data on somepopulations, and was before the forest fires and illegal logging of recent years (Tilsonet al, 1993). Three sub-species are now recognised, P. p. pygmaeus, P. p. wurmbii andP. p. morio. Estimates have been substantially revised in the light of new data, but eventhough there may be more than had been feared, the downward trend is clear. Thecurrent Bornean population is estimated to be about 50,000 (Meijaard et al, 2004),compared with an estimate last century of 180,000 (Marshall et al, 2000). About8,000 individuals occur within national parks, but these are fragmented in smallpopulations, which are highly vulnerable to extinction if migration between protectedareas is not allowed (Marshall et al, 2000).Economic crises in Indonesia have led to poaching pressure on orangutans, mainly tosupply the pet trade (Yeager, 1999). Given the low population growth rate, the numberof animals removed for this purpose far exceeds what can be replaced (Marshall et al,2000). Furthermore, each orangutan orphan represents at least one dead parent, andmany orphans don’t even survive long enough to be traded. Thus, the pet trade is asignificant threat to the remaining population.4.5 Health implicationsEmerging zoonotic diseases are one of the most important public health threats facinghumanity. Close genetic correlation between humans and apes means that many of thesame viruses (for example, the common cold, influenza, pneumonia, tuberculosis,measles, yellow fever, ebola fever, hepatitis B and poliovirus) and parasites (forexample, schistosomiasis, filariasis, giardiasis, salmonellosis) affect both parties andare transmissible between the two (WWF, 2003; Wolfe, 2004).Primate butchering and consumption practices and the pet trade have vastly increasedhuman exposure to and risk from wildlife diseases (Redmond, 1995; BCTF, 2003).Access to remote forests and improved transport and trade have escalated these risks,as well as supporting the emergence of new zoonotic infections (Peeters et al, 2002).At the same time, primates are at risk from human diseases. Chimpanzee populationshave been documented suffering from fatal disease outbreaks, such as scabies,pneumonia and gut parasites, believed to originate from humans (WWF, 2003).Mountain gorillas in Rwanda, habituated for tourism, are at risk from human diseases,as are other habituated ape populations and those living near dense human settlements(WWF, 2003). Stress and fragmentation or reductions in populations as a result ofpoaching are likely to increase this risk.Simian retroviruses have long incubation periods and we may therefore see diseaseepidemics in the future as a result of infections occurring now (Peeters, 2004; Wolfeet al, 2004)4.5.1 Simian immunodeficiency viruses (SIV) and humanimmunodeficiency virus (HIV)In humans, AIDS is the end result of infection with one of two lentiviruses (HIV type 1or 2), both of zoonotic origin (BCTF, 2003). SIVchz from chimpanzees and SIVsm fromsooty mangabeys have been transmitted to humans on at least seven occasions;presumably this occurred in connection with the processing and consumption of thesespecies, since transmission occurs through body fluids such as blood (Stein et al,2002b). These transmissions are the original cause of HIV-AIDS in humans (BCTF,2003) and are an example of how pathogens that do not cause disease in their naturalhost may evolve to do so in humans. The lack of symptoms in primates carryingSIVs suggests they might be key in curing HIV-AIDS in humans (Marshall et al, 2000).As well as HIV-1 (which occurs internationally) and HIV-2 (which is restricted to WestAfrica), new recombinants are appearing in forested areas, where hunting andpopulation growth have affected the dynamics of virus transmission (BCTF, 2003).SIVs appear to be widespread in the wild. They have been reported in 26 differentspecies of African primates, many of which are hunted for consumption; these includecolobus, sun-tailed and DeBrazza monkeys, mandrills, drills, chimpanzees and redcappedmangabeys (Stein et al, 2002b; BCTF, 2003). In Cameroon, 13 of 16 primatespecies hunted for bushmeat were found to carry SIV lineages and, 16% of speciesconsumed are thought to be SIV-infected (Peeters, 2004, Wolfe et al, 2004).PRIMATE BUSHMEAT57WSPA/APE ALLIANCE© Ian Redmond56Below: Monkeycarcass for sale inKinshasa Market,DRC; skull openedto eat brains, apractice that inother species ledto transmission ofprions causingscrapie, kuru, CJDand BSE.