Chimpanzee sanctuaries like the one on Ol Pejeta exist because chimpanzees are threatened in the wild and if not protected they will become extinct. The threats facing chimpanzees in the wild are mainly habitat loss, bush meat trade and pet trade. I believe education is key in eliminating some of these problems therefore the next few blogs will shed light on the threats. This week we will look into bush meat trade and pet trade which go hand in hand.

Bush meat trade is the killing of wild animals, such as chimpanzees, for meat. An increase in commercial logging opens up previously inaccessible forest areas to poachers and perpetuates the illegal bush meat trade. Often all adult chimpanzees in an area are butchered, leaving behind infants that are then captured alive and sold as exotic pets. Less than 25% of the infants taken from the wild survive. They mostly die from disease, malnutrition and dehydration.  Some infants are occasionally intercepted in transit by government authorities, whereupon sanctuaries such as Sweetwaters are called upon to provide refuge.

Let’s take the example of five of our chimpanzees here in the sanctuary.  In 2005, Julia, Edvard, Jane, Victoria and Romeo were confiscated at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi. All five chimpanzees were in very bad physical condition; Romeo had an old injury of two broken toes on his left foot, Jane had a shot-gun pellet lodged in her middle finger on the right hand, Victoria had a shot gun pellet lodged in her skull which had fortunately not penetrated through to the bone and Julia had to be treated with antibiotics for a week for acute pneumonia.  They were also severely malnourished, dehydrated and in very poor mental condition. If these chimpanzees hadn’t been intercepted they would most likely all be dead.

It’s estimated that, for every infant chimp one see’s in the market, ten members of his/her family were killed. A worldwide campaign is needed to educate the public on the bush meat trade and pet trade.