‘A Moral Imperative’: Scientists Say We Must Change Conservation Strategies to Save Endangered Great Apes

Following decades of hunting and habitat destruction by humans, great apes are teetering on the edge of extinction.

Five out of seven species of great apes — the closest living relatives to humans — have been listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as “critically endangered,” according to a new study by an international team of researchers.

“The great apes — bonobos, chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans — are critically threatened by human activities. We have destroyed their habitats, hunted them and transmitted fatal diseases to them,” the authors of the study wrote. “They are endangered, and time is running out.”

According to Andrew Marshall and John Mitani, field researchers from University of Michigan, traditional conservation methods have been useful, but they are no longer sufficient. The research team suggested new conservation paths to help guarantee the existence of these majestic primates.