A new investigation by Mongabay has revealed that the illegal trade in gorilla and chimpanzee body parts in northeastern Nigeria is far more widespread than previously believed, posing a major threat to some of the world’s rarest great apes. Journalist Orji Sunday spoke directly with hunters, traffickers, and buyers to uncover just how far the […]
Tag: Chimpanzee
A Nigerian reserve, once a stronghold for chimps, is steadily losing its forest to farming
Oluwa Forest Reserve, located in southwestern Nigeria, contains some of the last large swaths of old growth — also called “primary” — forest in the region. These forests are home to a rich diversity of wildlife, including endangered species and subspecies such as red-capped mangabeys (Cercocebus torquatus), Nigerian white-throated guenons (Cercopithecus erythrogaster pococki), white-bellied pangolins […]
Ugandan chimps are eating bat guano, raising concerns over human epidemics
“Finish your yogurt, sweetheart, it’s good for your bones. And take a few almonds, so you’ll stay healthy.” You may have heard this before, and rightly so. Minerals, such as calcium and magnesium, are vital to our functioning as they ensure that our bones, muscles, heart and brain work properly. And the same holds for […]
July 14th is World Chimpanzee Day
We chimps are smart Perhaps as smart as you We are better at being chimps Than you humans Are at being you We love we quarrel We eat we play So many things we do During an average chimp day We are endangered What’s the fuss? We want you humans to Care about us
Sick chimps seek out medicinal plants to heal themselves, study finds
Wild chimpanzees actively seek out plants with medicinal properties to treat themselves for specific ailments,a new study has found. While most animals consume foods with medicinal properties as part of their routine diet, few species have been shown to engage in self-medication in a way that suggests they have basic awareness of the healing properties […]
Eco-Influencers Unveiled: Spreading Awareness of Lesser-Known Wildlife Facts
Social media personalities focused on eco-causes are educating millions about the hidden wonders of the natural world. Imagine getting schooled on the wild lives of animals by authorities who live and breathe conservation – that’s what happens when influencers harness social media to dish out fascinating facts about species’ survival strategies, quirky habits, and the […]
Chimps are dying of the common cold. Is great ape tourism to blame?
There was something wrong with the chimpanzees. For weeks, a community of 205 animals in Uganda’s Kibale national park had been coughing, sneezing and looking generally miserable. But no one could say for sure what ailed them, even as the animals began to die. Necropsies can help to identify a cause of death, but normally, […]
First report of wound treatment by a wild animal using a pain-relieving plant
Even though there is evidence of certain self-medication behaviors in animals, so far it has never been known that animals treat their wounds with healing plants. Now, biologists from the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Germany and Universitas Nasional, Indonesia have observed this in a male Sumatran orangutan who sustained a facial wound. He […]