Our closest living relative, the chimpanzee, is under extreme threat by humans as we contribute to the destruction of their habitat and enable the hunting, capture, trade and eating of them. It’s a race against time to save this important species from extinction and to preserve their precious habitat in the Congo Basin, one of the world’s largest remaining continuous blocks of tropical rainforest.

At a glance
The central chimpanzee, pan troglodytes, is listed by the IUCN (World Conservation Union) as endangered. With an estimated 68,000 to 113,000 individuals surviving only where large areas of forest remain relatively undisturbed, their future seems bleak unless their habitat is protected and the hunting stops.

What is the threat?
Threats to the chimpanzees include the commercialised bushmeat and pet trades, as well as the rampant loss and destruction of critical chimpanzee habitat caused by the clearing of forests for logging, mining and agriculture. The result is fragmented habitat, which leaves chimpanzee populations isolated and exposed. Logging roads and trails, made by timber companies, are continuing to open up previously untouched forest areas, making forest wildlife easy prey for poachers.

'The threats to chimpanzees are exacerbated by a lack of information and awareness about chimpanzees and the laws that are in place to protect them.'

Additionally, wildlife legislation for the protection of great apes is weak, and the enforcement of laws in range countries is almost non-existent.  Most governments do not yet have the political will or means to undertake aggressive measures for great ape protection and conservation. In order to ensure success, these efforts must be combined with appropriately scaled public-awareness campaigns to educate both local and international communities about the plight of chimpanzees and their contribution to the world in biological, human, and economic dimensions.

What are charities doing to help?
The Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) works in the Republic of Congo to protect important chimpanzee habitat by actively involving and engaging local people as custodians of their environment, and helping them to make sustainable use of their natural resources. In 1999 the JGI created the Tchimpounga Natural Reserve Centre (TNRC), the largest chimpanzee refuge on the African continent - currently housing over 135 chimpanzees who have been orphaned through commercialised logging practices and the bushmeat trade.

More about the TNRC
The JGI ensures that illegally held chimpanzees are confiscated from poachers, local populations and market vendors and placed in the sanctuary.  This sends an important message to the local population: that chimpanzees are an important keystone species worth protecting.

Although sanctuaries are a good ‘interim’ solution, they cannot provide the needed conditions for chimpanzee orphans to express their whole range of natural behaviours. In an effort to address this situation, the Institute is in the process of investigating the feasibility of reintroducing some of the TNRC chimpanzees back into the wild.


Did you know?

• The capture of young chimpanzees requires the killing of the mother and often that of other community members.  It has been estimated that for each orphaned chimpanzee entering the pet trade, approximately ten other individuals have died.
• A chimpanzee’s average life span is approximately is 35-45 years in the wild, though they have been known to live beyond the age of 60 in sanctuary/captivity. 
• Wild chimpanzees have a very low reproductive rate - with females reaching sexual maturity at between 10 to 13 years old. Offspring are weaned from their mother at around four years of age, but will stay very close to the mother until the age of seven in order to continue learning the skills necessary for survival.
• The oldest female chimpanzee in captivity is Cheeta, the star of the Tarzan movies in the 1930s and 1940s, who is 75 years old. The oldest male chimpanzee in captivity is Gregoire, who is 64 years old, and cared for at the Jane Goodall Institute's Tchimpounga Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Centre.

What can I do?
You can donate funds to the BBC Wildlife Trust.