Year after year populations of wild apes disappear across Africa
due to increased habitat fragmentation, the commercial bushmeat
trade and disease. One or all of these problems may threaten
a given population. Lincoln Park Zoo scientists work with various
partners on projects throughout Africa to help conserve wild
apes. The zoo also supports young African scientists who lead
conservation projects for chimpanzees, lowland gorillas and mountain
gorillas. This helps groom a new generation of researchers as
environmental decision-makers and strengthens conservation leadership
in the countries where great apes live.
Gombe Health Monitoring Zoo scientists, in cooperation with the Jane Goodall
Insitute (JGI) and Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA), are conducting
a baseline health-monitoring study of chimpanzees in Tanzania’s
Gombe National Park. This study includes observational health
data collection and fecal and urine sampling for diagnoses. By
developing baseline measures of health in the population, scientists
can help park managers decide when and if to take action to treat
a sick chimpanzee. In addition, zoo staff and JGI investigate
ways to prevent transmission of disease between humans and chimpanzees.
Ape Conservation Database Although public concern for ape conservation is growing,
no central clearinghouse previously existed for information about
conservation projects and research sites. To help fill this gap,
Lincoln Park Zoo designed and maintains a comprehensive Ape Conservation
Database that organizes data on everything from scientific research
projects to surveys of ape habitats.
Goualougo Triangle Chimp Project The main goals of the Goualougo Triangle Chimpanzee Project are to enhance our knowledge of the central subspecies of chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes troglodytes) and improve their conservation status throughout central Africa. A long-term site-based conservation and research program is in place to document the social structure and ecology of this ape population, monitori the densities of chimpanzees and gorillas in the Goualougo Triangle, improve survey methods to estimate ape abundance in the region and document the effect of timber exploitation on chimpanzees residing in an active logging concession.
Director of the Lester E. Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes,
Elizabeth Vinson Lonsdorf (left), Dominic Travis (center) and Eric Lonsdorf (right) at Gombe National Park.
Tanzanian master's student Jared Bakuza (left) oversees the health-monitoring
project at Gombe. The zoo’s veterinary technician, Joel Pond, inspects
a field lab that has been set up by Bakuza with funding from Lincoln Park
Zoo.
