Bushmeat
Crisis
The most significant, immediate threat to chimpanzees in the wild is the bushmeat crisis. Bushmeat is meat derived from the wildlife in Africa, including threatened and endangered animals such as chimpanzees, gorillas, and elephants.
Six thousand chimpanzees are killed per year for bushmeat. Poachers often enter the forest using roads built by logging companies and export chimpanzee carcasses out of the forest via logging trucks. Chimpanzee bodies are usually smoked and sold for approximately $20 to $25 each; however, they are often dismembered and sold in pieces. The primary buyers of the meat are the urban elite and logging employees.
Currently there are approximately 120,000 chimpanzees living in the wild. Researchers estimate that there will be no free-living chimpanzees in 5 to 20 years if the bushmeat crisis continues. Although the situation seems bleak, there are organizations dedicated to alleviating the crisis. Following are some websites you can access if you want to help or learn more about the bushmeat trade and its devastating effects on the chimpanzee.
www.bushmeat.org www.bushmeat.net www.janegoodall.org