Protecting Chimpanzees

The illegal wildlife trade is one of the biggest threats to chimpanzees, now listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List with an estimated remaining population of between 170,000 to 300,000 left in the wild. 

Infants are often captured for the exotic pet trade and the devastating reality of these captures is that for every individual infant taken, poachers will typically slaughter 10 chimpanzees to stop the protective adults from interfering in the capture. Other threats to chimps include the illegal bushmeat trade, human-wildlife conflict, habitat destruction, and disease.

The David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation (DSWF) works with ground-based conservation partners in Guinea, who provide vital rescue, rehabilitation, and release programmes for illegally trafficked chimps, as well as leading educational initiatives attempting to reduce local demand for bushmeat, to raise awareness about the serious consequences of the illegal wildlife trade and to mitigate retaliatory killings when chimpanzees enter communities surrounding the national park.

This year DSWF will continue to work with our ground-based conservation partners to promote human-chimpanzee coexistence through an education and a sustainable livelihood programme to Increase knowledge amongst local communities about the threats facing chimps and increase the number of livelihoods available that don’t rely on the encroachment of nature.

To learn more about our work with chimpanzees, please visit our website.

Thank you for supporting us in our work to turn the tide on extinction.