SAVE WESTERN CHIMPANZEES
The Western chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes verus) is a subspecies of chimpanzee that has suffered an 80 percent population decline in the last 25 years as the result of habitat destruction, poaching and disease. It is the most at risk of extinction of the four subspecies of chimpanzee.
The Western chimpanzee population has declined by 80% in the last 25 years and the greatest threats to their survival are:
- Habitat Destruction
- Poaching
- Trafficking
- Disease
Unique Behavior
Western chimpanzees have unique behaviors never observed in any of the other subspecies of the chimpanzee.
In fact, their behavior is so diverged from that of their fellow subspecies of chimpanzee that it has been proposed West African chimpanzees may be a distinct species in their own right.
Chimpanzee Fun Facts
- They have the ability to learn sign language
- One of the few animals known to use tools
- Females only give birth once every five years
- They live in fission-fusion societies
- They are omnivores, mostly subsisting on fruit
The Western chimpanzee population has declined by 80% in the last 25 years and the greatest threats to their survival are:
- Habitat Destruction
- Poaching
- Trafficking
- Disease
Unique Behavior
Western chimpanzees have unique behaviors never observed in any of the other subspecies of the chimpanzee.
In fact, their behavior is so diverged from that of their fellow subspecies of chimpanzee that it has been proposed West African chimpanzees may be a distinct species in their own right.
Chimpanzee Fun Facts
- They have the ability to learn sign language
- One of the few animals known to use tools
- Females only give birth once every five years
- They live in fission-fusion societies
- They are omnivores, mostly subsisting on fruit
What do we do?
Project Primate supports sanctuaries that rescue and rehabilitate orphaned chimpanzees in Guinea and Cote d’Ivoire, West Africa, as well as supporting conservation efforts around education, law enforcement, and habitat protection activities.
