Endangered Species Homework: Chimpanzees

The Animal

The chimpanzee is a type of ape found in the forests and savannahs of Africa. Interestingly, its
name was also taken by what is now the bonobo – at that time, the chimpanzee as we know it
was known as the ‘common chimpanzee’. They are rather advanced, and have been seen using
tools such as rocks and sticks to accomplish tasks, such as hunting other animals or
collecting materials e.g. honey. Its proper name (species) is ‘Pan Troglodyte’.

The Problem

However, it’s not all good – according to the WWF, chimpanzees are an endangered species.
You see, over in Africa, poaching (illegal hunting) is a rather prominent threat to the
chimpanzees, as the meat from them are a primary food source for the people of Central/West
Africa. Some young chimps are even captured and sold as pets! Disease is also a problem. In
areas of their habitats, Ebola outbreaks have been known to happen, and due to their habits of
travelling in packs, it can kill tens of thousands of them…

The Solution(s)

Though there’s not much we can do on our own, a lot of things are being done by the WWF in
order to protect them from poaching. Examples include supporting local law enforcement to
make sure poachers are arrested and dealt with, establishment of national parks in
collaboration with governments, encouragement of sustainable uses of forested areas, etc. If
you wanted to try and help, you could donate to the WWF – all money donated to them would
help support both the efforts to stop the chimpanzee’s extinction, as well as
make sure a variety of other species across the world are kept alive until far in the future.
If you were willing to pay, though, the option to adopt your own chimpanzee is there – though it
would be difficult, it would definitely keep them away from poachers, so if you want a definitive
way of making sure they will stay alive, helping them yourself is the way.

Jake Beadle, 9F