Monday, May 14, 2012

The Great Divide: Chimps and Other Monkey Friends

And now for a little explanation on a common misunderstanding people have regarding Great Apes and other monkeys...


Members of the Great Ape family or Hominidae include chimpanzees, bonobos, orangutans, and gorillas. These magnificent creatures live life sans tails, have larger brain to body size ratio, higher levels of intelligence, and live longer lives overall. Chimpanzees, bonobos, and gorillas originate from Africa, while orangutans are from Southeast Asia.


Chimpanzee


Bonobos                                                              Orangutan

Monkeys or Simians include gibbons and siamangs, both of which originate from Africa. They have various types of tails, have smaller brain to body size ratio, lower levels of intelligence, and live shorter lives than their Great Ape friends. Siamangs are often referred to as the largest of the gibbons within the monkey grouping.

 

Siamang                                                          Gibbon

Sources:
http://www.centerforgreatapes.org/
http://nothoney.com/2008/07/18/spain-parliamentary-committee-votes-for-rights-for-apes/
http://www.primates.com/bonobos/
http://www.ecologyasia.com/verts/mammals/siamang.htm
http://animal.discovery.com/mammals/chimpanzee/

Monday, May 7, 2012

Spotlight on Conservation: Jane Goodall

It would probably be some sort of crime against humanity if we didn't mention or discuss one of the world's most well-known figures and researchers in the chimpanzee world...


Jane Goodall is considered one of the prime experts in chimpanzee research and conservation efforts worldwide. She has written several books including one entitled "Hope for Animals and Their World". Goodall is also responsible for the foundation of her own organization for the betterment of chimpanzees everywhere.



The Jane Goodall Institute was founded in 1977 with the mission of improving understanding and treatment of great apes, promoting public education and advocacy, contributing to the preservation of great ape habitats, and to create a network of young people who will "take responsible action to care for them". This noble goal has flourished into the organization it is today- providing care for over 150 chimpanzees living in the Gombe Stream Game Reserve.


Goodall is also responsible for the formation of other environmental awareness programs, including a program called "Roots & Shoots", connects youth of all ages who desire to create a "better world". The program provides service opportunities, youth-led campaigns, and resources online for young people to reach out and make a difference in the world.

This fabulous researcher just celebrated her 78th birthday and is still active, traveling the world for speaking tours, writing more books on great ape conservation, and doing what she enjoys most- visiting Gombe and spending time with her chimps.


Sources:
http://www.time.com/time/photoessays/10questions/0,30255,1921245_1931447,00.html
http://www.janegoodall.org/
http://www.rootsandshoots.org/

Chimps in the Media: Anthropomorphism

Disney recently released a movie entitled "Chimpanzees" for Earth Day 2012. The "rated G" film was produced as a kid-friendly version of Planet Earth with a solely chimpanzee storyline.



Films and other media portrayals of chimpanzees and other animals beg the question to be asked: is what we're watching on the big screen actually what happens out in the real world? Are there implications to having film crews intruding on the natural habitat of these animals? Does the benefit of having a glimpse into the lives of these animals worth the risks involved for the sake of heightened public awareness?

"Chimpanzees" and other films also lead one to wonder- is it acceptable for us to impose human-like story lines on animals that are non-human? When we infuse anthropomorphism (the idea of giving animals human qualities) into media such as this, there are clear benefits and drawbacks.



One pro of anthropomorphism is that humans are often better able to relate to their plight, as many of their behaviors seem to mimic human ones. This allows for people to have a closer connection with the animals and may inspire a bigger push to conservation efforts. Also in this particular instance with chimpanzees, we share a large part of our DNA with these furry creatures, making us very distant relatives but similar nonetheless.

The other side of the coin suggests that the narrow focus in such attempts to connect humans and chimpanzees disallows us to see behaviors that are not common between humans and chimps. In the case of this fun-loving Disney film geared toward children, this might not be such a problem.

Sources:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1222815/
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/08/0831_050831_chimp_genes.html