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To: The Honorable George Miller
The Honorable James Saxton
Re: Great Apes Conservation Act of 2000 (H.R. 4320)
Dear Congressmen:
Thank you very much for your outstanding and timely efforts on behalf
of the great apes. We are writing to inform you of an urgent crisis
facing bonobos. Bonobos (Pan paniscus) are humankindís closest
relatives, along with chimpanzees, yet most people donít even know that
bonobos exist. The most rare and possibly most endangered of all great
ape species, bonobos live in the heart of the Congo Basin, the worldís
second largest rain forest and the area of greatest biodiversity in
Africa. Bonobos are found in only one country: the war-torn Democratic
Republic of Congo (former Zaire).
Conservation efforts focused on bonobos have been extremely limited,
even as the threats to their survival become increasingly severe. No
one knows how many survive; frightening estimates range as low as 5,000
and the population is definitely decreasing. At this time, there is no
enforced protection for the bonobo.
Endangered Status of the Bonobo:
| U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service |
ENDANGERED |
| World Conservation Union (IUCN) |
VULNERABLE TO EXTINCTION |
| Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species |
APPENDIX I
(Bans hunting, killing, trapping, trade) |
While bonobos traditionally have been protected by some indigenous
peoples of the Congo Basin, they are being hunted now in greater and
greater numbers for meat and profit in the commercial bushmeat trade.
Taboos against killing bonobos are breaking down in the face of civil
war, human population pressure, and desperate economic circumstances.
The intermittent presence of field researchers has provided some
protection for bonobos in isolated pockets of their fragmented habitat.
However, scientists have not been able to return to their sites for two
to four years, due to the back-to-back civil wars. Even before the war,
reports from field researchers confirm that bonobos have disappeared
from several areas where they were abundant ten to fifteen years ago.
Troops from three warring factions are now in the central part of the
bonobo range, posing even more danger to the remaining bonobo
population. Study groups are at particular risk because they are
habituated to humans. This year, there has been an unprecedented influx
of baby bonobo orphans (whose mothers have been killed) entering
Kinshasa, the capitol of DRC. This indicates an increase of hunting,
and has sparked an alarm among conservationists. Most of the orphans
have been brought in for sale in the illegal pet trade. Those who
survived the traumatic journey from their home in the forest and were
then confiscated are now being cared for at the ìAmis des Animaux au
Congoî bonobo sanctuary, currently housed at The American School of
Kinshasa. The sanctuary is struggling to meet current needs, and the
facility cannot handle many more orphans.
If swift and targeted action is not taken very, very soon, bonobos are
likely to vanish forever. This would be a tremendous loss for many
reasons, not the least of which being that bonobos provide essential
clues to the nature of humanity itself. Of all the apes, bonobos are
physically most similar to our early human ancestors, the
australopithecines. Ground-breaking research with captive bonobos
conducted by Dr. Sue Savage-Rumbaugh at Georgia State University has
demonstrated that these extremely intelligent apes can use human
languageóat least at the level of a 21/2-year old human child. That
research reveals insights into the roots of human language, and it has
been instrumental in aiding human children with learning disabilities.
We have only begun to fathom the complexities of this fascinating
species and there is so much more we need to learn.
The dire need for protection.
The last apes to be discovered by modern scientists, bonobos have been
studied in the wild only since the mid 1970s. The majority of field
research to date has been conducted by a Japanese research team from
Kyoto University. In addition, German, Belgian, Spanish and American
scientists have studied wild bonobos. One of the longest-running field
sites was originally established by Americans and directed by Dr.
Randall Susman of the State University of New York at Stony Brook.
Research and conservation efforts have been upset due to socio-political
unrest and economic collapse that has wracked Congo-Zaire for the past
decade.
None of the bonobo study sites falls within the boundaries of a
national park. (See map attached.) In 1987, the Japanese team
successfully petitioned the Zairian government to designate a small area
around their site in Wamba as a protected reserve, where hunting all
primates is prohibited. But, now there is no enforcement and the Luo
Reserve needs to be expanded. It has taken over twenty-five years of
on-going research to develop life histories of the habituated bonobos at
Wamba. If these bonobos are lost, the knowledge that will die with them
is immeasurable.
Likewise, Belgian, German and American scientists working in the Lomako
forest have proposed the establishment of a reserve in that area, but
there has been no definitive action yet. An American scientist, Jo
Thompson of the Lukuru Wildlife Research Project purchased a small
amount of land in 1998 through local Congolese methods for her study
site. Like the Luo Reserve, this land is protected by local villagers,
but soldiers have been through the area and the people have no means to
defend themselves, or the bonobos.
There is an urgent need to provide real protection in these areas. The
only existing official ìprotected areaî where a viable population of
bonobos might exist is the Salonga National Park,
but even there, guards have not been paid in years and there is
substantial evidence of poaching. Spearheaded by Dr. Gay Reinartz of
the Zoological Society of Milwaukee, plans are underway to survey the
park, pay guards and provide more protection.
Peaceful primates under siege.
Dubbed the ìmake love, not warî apes, bonobos exhibit a peaceful,
matriarchal, egalitarian society, based on cooperation, sealed by
creative use of sex. Unlike their cousins the chimpanzees (Pan
troglodytes), who are found on the north side of the Congo River, and
live in a male-dominated society marked by aggressive territoriality and
competition, bonobos demonstrate that society can be successfully
ordered by cooperation and sharing. Indeed, they exemplify many
qualities we humans need to emulate to ensure our own survival.
It is ironic and tragic that these peaceful primates are now the
victims of human violence. The decline of this precious species is only
one indicator of the destruction that has wreaked havoc in an area that
has suffered some of the worst impacts of human greed and corruption.
Peace is the prerequisite to successful conservation of bonobos, all the
apes of Congo, and the vital natural resources upon which the health and
survival of the entire planet depend. The United States has a moral and
practical responsibility to the world, the people of the Congo, and
future generations to do everything in its power to promote peace and
rehabilitation in this country.
The only home of the bonobo, the Democratic Republic of Congo is also
the only country in which all three species of African great ape can be
found. Programs targeted at protection of the apes will also help to
conserve many other endangered species who share the same habitats, and
will inherently bring many benefits to the people.
By passing this Act, you will help to position bonobos and all of the
great apes as flagship species, of which the Congolese people can be
proud. Unique to the Congo, bonobos are respected as special, ìalmost
humanî relatives. They can serve as a powerful symbol of peace and
prosperity in the Congo, and efforts are already underway to position
them as such.
Aside from establishing and monitoring protected areas, conservation
programs will go hand in hand with public education, health care, and
the development of sustainable economic alternatives. It is important
to recognize that the Great Ape Conservation Act can have enormously
positive and powerful effects on Congolese society as a whole. After
all, elders and previous generations of Congolese protected bonobos and
harvested the forest wisely and sustainably. We have a lot to learn
from them. Any solutions to the current problems ravaging the resources
of the Congo must beóand will beódeveloped in close collaboration with
the local people.
The political will that the Great Ape Conservation Act can generate on
all levelsófrom the grassroots to the highest levels of governmentócan
not be overstated. It is a strong, clear message that we care enough to
give substantial aid and to work with Congolese to develop real, abiding
solutions.
Efforts toward Peace in the DRC are progressing with the forthcoming
aid of United Nations missions and continuing negotiations among African
leaders. NGOs, scientists and conservationists from America and
elsewhere are working in the region to the extent now possible and are
ready to take concerted action when the situation permits. The timely
response of the U.S. government to the urgent crisis facing our closest
of kin can make all the difference at this critical stage.
An International Initiative
Too long over-looked, bonobos need and deserve immediate, targeted
assistance. If the status quo continues, bonobos are likely to go
extinct in a few short years. To address this crisis, bonobo field
researchers and conservationists from around the world met in Japan last
November to assess the severity of the problem, and further action is in
the works.
A growing international initiative is underway to bring attention and
funds to bear on the bonobo crisis. By passing the Great Apes
Conservation Act, the United States will add substantial, and
desperately needed supportóand inspire similar aid from other countries.
Testimony presented by conservation groups at the June subcommittee
hearing made very clear the unprecedented crisis facing all of the great
apes and the urgency of implementing solutions. We urge all members of
Congress to pass The Great Apes Conservation Act and take whatever
action possible to bring stability to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Thank you for your timely attention to this matter. We greatly
appreciate all of your efforts and the opportunity to comment on this
important legislation.
Testimony presented by The Bonobo Conservation Initiative
Sally Jewell Coxe, President
For further information, contact Roberta Synal, Director of Public
Affairs (202) 319-9424. (e-mail: rsynal@bonobo.org)
The Bonobo Conservation Initiative is a non-profit (US: 501 (c)3)
organization dedicated to preserving bonobos and their habitat in the
Congo Basin. The Initiative is working to increase public awareness,
build partnerships and raise funds for conservation activities. Our
goal is to help unify an international network and coalition of
scientists, conservation groups, zoos, government organizations, and
other concerned parties to work together effectively to protect this
rare species of great apeóand to promote peace and prosperity in the
Democratic Republic of Congo. We are guided by the philosophy that
together we can do what none of us can do alone.
Signatories:
Karl Ammann
Photojournalist / Bushmeat Project
Nanyuki, Kenya
Claudine AndrÈ-Minesi
Founding Director, Amis des Animaux au Congo
Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo
Christophe Boesch, Ph.D.
Director, Wild Chimpanzee Foundation
Max-Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Leipzig, Germany
Frans de Waal, Ph.D.
Living Links Primate Center
Emory University
Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Alan Dixson, D.Sc.
Director of Conservation and Science
Center for the Reproduction of Endangered Species
Zoological Society of San Diego, USA
Jef Dupain
Coordinator, Bonobo Project-in-Situ, Lomako Forest (DRC)
Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp
Belgium
Takeshi Furuichi, Ph.D.
Primatologist, Wamba Research Project & Luo Reserve (DRC)
Laboratory of Biology, Meiji-Gakuin University
Japan
Chie Hashimoto, Ph.D.
Primatologist, Wamba Research Project & Luo Reserve (DRC)
Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University
Japan
Marianne Holtkotter, Ph.D.
Curator of Mammals, Zoologisch Botanischer Garten Wilhelma
Stuttgart, Germany
Gen'ichi Idani, Ph.D.
Director, Division of Anthropology
Great Apes Research Institute (GARI)
Hayashibara Museum of Natural Sciences
Japan
Hiroshi Ihobe, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, School of Human Sciences
Sugiyama Jogakuen University
Japan
Takayoshi Kano, Ph.D.
Founding Director, Wamba Research Project & Luo Reserve (DRC)
Professor, Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University
Japan
Kristin Leus, Ph.D.
Assistant International Studbook Keeper for Bonobo
Assistant Species Coordinator, Bonobo European Endangered Species
Program
Conservation Biologist, Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp
Belgium
Richard Malenky, Ph.D.
Great Ape Primatologist (Ecology)
Woodside, New York, USA
Alison Mize
Co-founder, Bonobo Conservation Initiative
Education Interpreter / Animal Care, National Zoological Park
Smithsonian Institution
Washington, DC, USA
Amy R. Parish, Ph.D.
Department of Anthropology
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California, USA
Gay E. Reinartz, Ph.D.
International Coordinator, Bonobo Salonga Survey Project (DRC)
Species Coordinator, Bonobo Species Survival Plan
Zoological Society of Milwaukee, USA
Duane M. Rumbaugh, Ph.D.
Director, Language Research Center
Georgia State University
Atlanta, Georgia, USA
E. Sue Savage-Rumbaugh, Ph.D.
Director, Bonobo Protection Fund
Professor, Department of Biology
Language Research Center, Georgia State University
Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Randall Susman, Ph.D.
Founding Director, Lomako Forest Pygmy Chimpanzee Project (DRC)
Professor, Department of Anatomical Sciences
State University of New York-Stony Brook, USA
Jo Thompson, Ph.D.
Founder, Lukuru Wildlife Research Project (DRC)
Snowmass Village, Colorado, USA
Nancy Thompson-Handler, Ph.D.
Great Ape Primatologist (Behavior)
Woodside, New York, USA
Linda Van Elsacker, Ph.D.
Bonobo Research Coordinator
Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp
Belgium
Bruno Van Puijenbroeck
International Studbook Keeper for Bonobo
Species Coordinator, Bonobo European Endangered Species Program
Curator of Mammals, Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp
Belgium
Don Winstel
Assistant Director, Conservation & Education
Columbus Zoo and Aquarium
Columbus, Ohio, USA
Bonobo Conservation Initiative Board of Directors
Alden Almquist, Ph.D.
Sub-Saharan Africa Consultant; Literary examiner, Library of Congress
Sally Jewell Coxe
Co-founder, Bonobo Conservation Initiative
Edward C. Green, Ph.D.
Medical Anthropologist, Consultant, and Author
Mark F. Johnson
Founding Director, Immunet / AIDS.org
William Meade
Principal, Environmental Policy and Ecotourism, Hagler Bailly, Inc.
Tony Rose, Ph.D.
Founding Director, Biosynergy Institute and The Bushmeat Project
Norman Rosen
Conservation Breeding Specialist Group, IUCN
Professor, Primate Behavior, California State University-Fullerton
William E. Stevens
Brigadier General, U.S. Air Force (ret.)
Director, APQC Consulting Group
Sally Jewell Coxe
Bonobo Conservation Initiative
2701 Connecticut Ave., NW #702
Washington, DC 20008
USA
Tel: 202-332-1014
Fax: 202-234-3066
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