Chimpanzee

Chimpanzee

We are delighted that the Bonn Rotarian Clubs have taken over the sponsorship of the chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes).

The rainforests and other forest formations in West and Central Africa are home to our closest relatives: The chimpanzee. Genetically speaking, chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) and their sister species in the interior of the Congo Basin, the bonobos or "pygmy chimpanzees" (Pan paniscus), are almost 99 per cent similar to humans! The high degree of kinship has recently led some scientists to call for chimpanzees, bonobos and humans (which have been categorised together with gorillas and orangutans in the Hominidae family since the 1970s) to be included in the same genus in future.Homo troglodytes and Homo paniscus would then be the sister species of Homo sapiens.

With so much similarity, it is not surprising that the extremely complex social behaviour of chimpanzees is similar to "ours" in many areas. Their high intelligence, their pronounced learning and empathy and other mental abilities have been proven in numerous experiments and extensive field studies. Chimpanzees live in groups, which from time to time join together with others to form regular troops of up to 150 individuals. They sleep and rest in the treetops in self-built nests made of branches. During the day, they roam the forest, moving nimbly through the branches and climbing to the treetops in search of food and other activities. Although fruits such as ripe figs are among their favourite foods, about 5% of their total diet is of animal origin. Occasionally, they even hunt a range of vertebrates - and it is not uncommon for them to fall prey to other small ape species such as guenons or colobus monkeys.

Although chimpanzees are the most common great apes with the largest range, populations continue to decline to such an extent that the species is classified as "critically endangered" on the International Red List. The reasons are manifold and vary from region to region: deforestation, expanding agriculture and oil and gas extraction are destroying the habitat in many places. The animals are mainly hunted for their meat and for the pet trade. Infectious diseases transmitted by humans are also a problem for chimpanzees, especially in places where they come into contact with a lot of human waste or are exposed to unsustainably organised tourism, for example.