Cameroon projects
BCSF Ape Action Africa (formerly known as CWAF) by providing funding and business and veterinary services support. We also hold a seat on the Board of AAA and are actively involved in campaigning against the bushmeat trade.
Gorillas and chimpanzees are being hunted, killed and sold for meat. No one really knows the scale of the killing but, in just one district of Cameroon in the western part of Africa, an estimated 800 gorillas are shot for meat every year. To add to the horror, when the adults are killed their young are taken and sold as pets, but they often die of starvation or disease in a few days. BCSF is working with Ape Action Africa to try to stop the killing, and to care for the orphans of the trade.
Gorillas and chimpanzees are protected species, but the bushmeat trade is the biggest threat that they face. 90% of the chimpanzee population has already been lost, and, without major conservation efforts, it is feared that all the apes in Cameroon could be wiped out within the next few decades.
As a member of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria, Bristol Zoo Gardens participated in the EAZA Bushmeat Campaign, along with over 100 other European zoos. The campaign collected 1.9 petition signatures by September 2001. The petition was presented to the EU in autumn 2001 to bring this crisis to their attention and call for concerted action.
If we don’t do anything then bushmeat hunting at the present levels will lead to extinction within the next few decades. It will also lead to a humanitarian crisis as the impact of over-hunting affects people too. The sources of food, medicine and livelihood that indigenous communities depend upon are being severely depleted.
If you would like to support this project by making a donation click here DONATE
Songs to capture the voice of the people
'Must see' tv
CWAF (now known as Ape Action Africa) is the subject of a Animal Planet series called "Go Ape" that highlights important conservation issues.
Adopt an Ape in Africa
How you can help
Find out more about the work carried out by Ape Action Africa and how you can help by visiting their website. Alternatively, why not adopt an orphaned gorilla or chimpanzee.
