News

Empty Forests – How politics, economics and corruption fuel live great ape trafficking - June 7, 2023

In April, Daniel Stiles, an independent wildlife trade researcher for over 20 years, released a report by the Global Initiative organization warning about the problem of great apes trafficking in Africa. A sad already known reality, but that, unfortunately, seems to be no closer to being solved. In the midst of increasing numbers of rescues, […]

Book review – “Chimpanzee”: lessons from our sister species - June 2, 2023

By Alyson Baker* Chimpanzee is a wonderfully comprehensive book. Kevin D. Hunt is Professor of Animal Behaviour and Anthropology at Indiana University, Bloomington. He is a functional morphologist, using reverse engineering to consider how the anatomical structures of animals, in this case chimpanzees, function in their everyday lives. He then theorises about which environmental pressures […]

GAP Project condemns the insults mande against the soccer player Vinicius Jr. - May 27, 2023

The Great Ape Project / Proyecto Gran Simio condemns the public insults made against the soccer player Vinicius Jr., calling him “monkey” in a pejorative way, when we, humans, are primates and, more specifically, great apes. Ignorance and lack of culture cause acts of this kind of racism and hatred to be directed against those […]

Africa: Baby chimps continued to be rescue from illegal trade and need your support - May 24, 2023

From PASA – Pan African Sanctuaries Alliance We are terrified by how many orphaned primates will need our care in the coming months. PASA’s emergency rescue fund ensures that urgent rescues like these are conducted quickly, resulting in more lives being saved.  Last week, three chimpanzees and two young baboons arrived at our member Lwiro […]

Chimpanzees synchronize their steps just like humans - May 15, 2023

Behavioral research with chimpanzees is fascinating because, besides the similarities found with human behavior, it makes us think about the specificity of each species. One example is a recent research study presented in this video. The study “Inter-individual Coordination in Walking Chimpanzees” is a partnership between researchers from the University of St. Andrews (@uniofstandrews) and […]

Argentina: The Supreme Court of Río Negro ordered the transfer of chimpanzee “Toti” to a sanctuary - May 9, 2023

By Newsroom – Site Rio Negro The chimpanzee is 33 years old and has been in captivity in Bubalcó since 2013. Now, specialists will have to carry out a study to determine whether the animal is able to face the transference journey and determine the most suitable place. The Superior Court of Justice (STJ) of […]

Comparison of genomes from 240 species makes fresh revelations about human evolution - May 3, 2023

In the end of April, scientists released the key results of a major study that compared the genomes of 240 species of mammals – including humans. Some of the findings of the Project Zoonomia were published in the journal Science and made fresh human evolution revelations. By comparing the genomes, it was possible to identify […]

Gorilla Bokito, who once attacked a woman, dies unexpectedly at 27 in a Dutch zoo - April 11, 2023

GAP’s note: The story of Bokito is one among many examples of how complex it is to keep such intelligent beings in captivity. With the aggravating factor, in this case, that there is exposure and visitation. May Bokito rest in Peace… Blijdorp Zoo’s famous western lowland gorilla, Bokito, died unexpectedly on April 4th, 2023, the […]

Drones for great apes’ protection and conservation - March 31, 2023

Unesco announced earlier this year the launch of a drone project that will help monitor the health and changes in natural habitat of great apes in Africa and Asia. In partnership with the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle (France) and the Sebitoli Chimpanzee Project (Uganda), the UN agency is enabling technicians of 20 Biosphere Reserves and […]

Book “Adam the Ape”: friendship between a boy and a chimpanzee - March 14, 2023

The book “Adam the Ape”, by Wolfgang Wambach, tells the story of the friendship between the boy Kenny and the chimpanzee Adam, who is exploited in a circus. The two meet and discover, among many other things in common, the ability to communicate through sign language. From this friendship the author presents several issues related […]

On the edge of extinction: why western chimpanzees matter – photo essay - March 7, 2023

By Roberto García-Roa and Javier Ábalos, Photography by Roberto García-Roa / The Guardian – Jan 20, 2023  Western chimpanzees are on the brink of extinction, categorised by the IUCN as critically endangered. Photojournalist and scientist Roberto García Roa has been working with the Chimpanzee Conservation Centre in Guinea, one of the few international institutions trying to […]

“When I’m 64” - March 1, 2023

Beautiful campaign by Save the Chimps Sanctuary @savethechimps in Florida, USA. Enjoy a heartwarming video featuring our residents and @thebeatles’ “When I’m Sixty-Four,” donated by McCartney @paulmccartney.  “Most people don’t realize chimpanzees can live into their sixties, thus their lifelong care at sanctuaries is a costly commitment. I was happy to donate “When I’m Sixty-Four” […]

Argentina: chimpanzee Toti’s case updated - February 16, 2023

The chimpanzee Toti’s case is old and in the beginning of this month there was a breakthrough with the publication of a sentence – not definitive, but favorable. Toti is 32 years old and was born in captivity, in Buenos Aires. He lived in the zoo in Córdoba and in 2013 was transferred to the […]

Popular chimpanzees set hand-holding trends for the whole group - February 15, 2023

Apes copy the social customs of their influential peers – and their moms. By Jocelyn Solís-Moreira (Feb15, 2023) Holding hands isn’t just for human sweethearts. Chimps often clutch each other’s palms while grooming in a behavior known as handclasping. Handclasping is common among chimpanzees, and this endearing act is a social custom passed on through […]

Center for Great Apes/USA: California Group update - February 1, 2023

From Center for Great Apes Sanctuary The seven former research chimpanzees who arrived at CGA one year ago from the closed Wildlife Waystation in Los Angeles are just fabulous!  The four adult males and three adult females have settled into their new home in Wauchula and have captured all our hearts. Josh, the oldest male, is […]

Brazil is closer to becoming the 43rd country in the world to ban animal testing for cosmetics - January 17, 2023

Federal bill to ban cosmetics testing on animals clears Brazilian Senate Bill 70/2014, backed by Humane Society International, passed a plenary session vote in the Senate, advancing bill to final legislative step From Humane Society International BRASILIA, December 20, 2022 —After nearly a decade in the National Congress, Bill 70/2014, which aims to enact a […]

Gorilla Bua Noi, one of the saddest of the world. Help spread the word against this absurd! - January 5, 2023

Female gorilla Bua Noi (photo), captured in the wild when she was one year old, an orangutan and several other animals are examples of the most archaic concept of a zoo that we unfortunately still encounter in the year 2023. They have been living for decades at Pata Zoo, a rooftop zoo in a shopping […]

GAP Project wishes Merry Christmas! - December 19, 2022

Merry Christmas and may 2023 be a wonderful year for all living beings!  

Africa: Urgent help for baby chimpanzees - December 18, 2022

The baby chimpanzee Niete, who is less than one year old, is one example among many other victims of wildlife hunters in Africa. Her parents and other adults in her group were probably murdered for her to be captured with the purpose of commercialization. Niete was lucky and was rescued. Dehydrated, malnourished and traumatized, she […]

Three chimpanzees shot dead after escape from Swedish zoo - December 15, 2022

With great sadness we came across another news of chimpanzees’ deaths after escaping from a zoo. This time it happened in Sweden, at Furuviksparken zoo, about 160 km away from Stockholm. According to the news released, yesterday, 12/14, 5 of the 7 chimpanzees who lived in the zoo escaped and were loose for hours. In […]