Conservation & Threats
Disease
Diseases are communicable and transmissible between humans and chimpanzees. Chimps are so genetically similar to us that they can catch or be infected by nearly all known human infectious diseases. This occurs when interactions between humans and chimps gets closer and becomes more frequent. Such interactions include hunting and poaching of chimps, crop-raiding by chimps, and even interactions through eco-tourism and field research.
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A disease or virus in humans however, often has much more severe consequences in ape populations, and vice versa. For example, Ebola fever has had devastating consequences for both humans and great apes, with several outbreaks since 1970. Most recently in 1994 and 2003, 98% of the ape population (gorillas and chimps) in northern parts of Gabon (Minkebe National Park) and the Republic of Congo (Ndole Ndoki National Park), respectively, were decimated, and approximately 100 human deaths were reported in both cases. Additionally, the HIV virus, found to have originated (in a specific form) in chimpanzees, does not cause disease in chimpanzees, but is devastating to humans.
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Species that are not native to chimpanzee habitats (invasive species), such as foreign bacteria and viruses, can also have adverse effects on animals that have never encountered such species before. With the increase in human traffic (through forest encroachment, logging and mining, bushmeat trade, etc.) in forests, such invaders can increase, causing infection and disease. In countries where eco-tourism and field research occurs, there are policies in place for researchers and tourists alike, to regulate the interaction between humans and wildlife. Such policies include vaccination requirements, minimum allowed distance (closeness) to wildlife, forbidden access if ill, etc. Therefore, it is important for people to be conscious of their local impacts and to keep a good distance from chimpanzees when visiting in their natural habitats (through eco-tours) and in any other setting. |
Pieces to the AIDS Puzzle
On January 31, 1999, scientists at the University of Alabama at Birmingham announced their discovery that HIV (Type-1), the virus that causes AIDS, originated in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) as an SIV virus, although is harmless to chimps. A paper detailing the discovery appears in the February 4, 1999 issue of the scientific journal Nature.
The scientist behind the discovery, Dr. Beatrice Hahn, has emphasized the conservation angle of this breakthrough finding. "We cannot afford to lose these animals, either from an animal conservation or a medical investigative standpoint," she said. "It is quite possible that the chimpanzee, which has served as a source of HIV-1, also holds the clues to its successful control." Dr. Hahn and her colleagues hope that as a consequence of their research, there will be additional measures taken to discourage chimpanzee poaching and to preserve this and other endangered primate species.
