Data collected from more than 800 chimpanzees taken from the wild could help conservationists return them to their natural habitat and combat illegal poaching of endangered apes.
Researchers at the Institute of Evolutionary Biology in Barcelona extracted genomes from hair and faecal samples of chimps, using similar techniques previously applied to tracing the origins of ivory illegally sold on the black market.
Scientists catalogued the genome of chimpanzees in the wild across 48 sites in 18 countries to create a genetic map, to pair with data collected from captive animals, or those confiscated from smugglers.
Once the genetic code is matched, researchers said they could find a chimp’s home in an area within 90 kilometres.
Mimi Arandjelovic, a biologist who worked on the research, said more samples from a wider geographical base would encourage a wider prosecution of traffickers.
“In countries where keeping wild, non-domesticated animals is legal, authorities probably have little way of obtaining samples from these animals,” she said.
“However, there is a large network of sanctuaries across the world housing apes, while apes and wildlife products are often confiscated at ports or seized in shipments.
Closing the net on wildlife traffickers
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Fishing boats sit on the waterway in Conakry, Guinea. Waldo Swiegers / Bloomberg -
Keeper Sekou Kourouma with chimps on a bush walk at the Chimpanzee Conservation Center. Dan Kitwood / Getty Images -
Hawa sits on a rock next to the River Niger during a bushwalk, at the Chimpanzee Conservation Centre. Dan Kitwood / Getty Images -
The Chimpanzee Conservation Centre in Somoria, Guinea. Dan Kitwood / Getty Images -
Guinea’s Chimpanzee Conservation Center. Photo by Stuart Butler -
Baby chimpanzees at the Chimpanzee Conservation Center in the Parc National du Haut Niger, Guinea. The centre rehabilitates chimpanzees that have been rescued from the exotic pet trade. Photo by Stuart Butler
“That is where our work would be primarily targeted.”
Researchers were inspired to carry out the study after similar work by Dr Samuel Wasser, a University of Washington biologist, who identified unique ivory DNA that helped police the illicit international trade.
By identifying the two primary areas from which ivory was sourced, law enforcement was able to put limited resources into critical areas, rather than across the vast continent, to eliminate the largest amount of illegal killing.
“Working with elephants offers challenges we do not need to deal with,” Ms Arandjelovic said.
“Elephants can travel hundreds of kilometres in their lifetime, so geo-localisation is trickier.
“Male chimps stay either in their natal groups their entire life, or females migrate away from their natal group at maturity to some other group nearby.
”Being able to sample from large ivory confiscations and finding matching tusks in different shipments allows identification of poaching hotspots; with chimps orphans are usually confiscated one, or few, at a time although some larger confiscations of skulls and bushmeat projects have been done.”
Research offers vital insight into chimp populations
Although in its early stages, testing procedures have been developed in partnership with the Pan African Programme (PanAf) at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthroplogy in Leipzig, Germany. These are aimed at understanding the cultural diversity of chimpanzees across 40 populations.
Tomas Marques-Bonet, a scientist whose laboratory analysed 828 chimp samples, said collecting genomic data could provides clues on how the chimpanzee population is structured.
“The only limitation (of this method) is the logistics of the operation,” he said.
“So far, the lab technique can be done in any molecular lab with the proper equipment, but still needs collection, transportation and a report, which is less than ideal.
“The cost greatly varies, but as a rule of thumb is in the low hundreds of euros per sample.”
Poaching soared during pandemic
Wildlife trafficking increased during the pandemic, with poachers looking for animals to sell as exotic pets or bushmeat.
The recent monkeypox outbreak forced Nigeria to recently ban the sale of bushmeat in an effort to halt zoological diseases entering the human food chain.
Bushmeat, that often involves antelope, cane rat or tortoise, in Nigeria is thought to be one way in which disease jumps from animals to humans.
Anthropologist Dr Daniel Stiles, an independent illegal wildlife trade consultant who has worked with the UN, said DNA profiling of captive animals is becoming increasingly useful in countering wildlife crime.
“DNA geographical origin identification has great potential for learning where trafficked live wildlife or derivative products came from,” he said.
“But the limiting factors are having a lab that will run the tests and the cost.”
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Giant ibises in Cambodia. In April 2020, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) documented the poisoning of three critically endangered giant ibises for the wading bird's meat. WCS via AP -
Community rangers dispose of the remains of a giant ibis in Cambodia in June 2020. WCS via AP -
A giant ibis in Cambodia in in June 2020. “Suddenly rural people have little to turn to but natural resources and we’re already seeing a spike in poaching,” said Colin Poole, the group's regional director for the Greater Mekong. WCS via AP -
Forest guards check for snares during a patrol in the Manas National Park in northeastern India which is inhabited by tigers and elephants. Located in the Himalayan foothills, the protected forests are known for rare species like the golden langur and pygmy hog and the forests are contiguous with the Royal Manas National Park in Bhutan. Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) via AP -
A tiger skin was seized when it was being delivered to a suspected buyer in a hotel in Nagpur, Maharashtra, India in March 2011. Since the country announced its 2020 COVID-19 lockdown, at least four tigers and six leopards have been killed by poachers. WTI via AP -
A leopard is caught in a trap in a forest in Karnataka, India in November 2014. Authorities in India are concerned a 2020 spike in poaching not only could kill more endangered tigers and leopards but also species these carnivores depend upon to survive. WTI via AP -
A clutch wire snare is used to capture a leopard in Karnataka, India. Snares like this have become increasingly common in southern India's dense forest amid the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, as people left jobless turn to wildlife to make money and feed their families. WTI via AP -
A tiger skin was seized by Indian law enforcement authorities at the border with Bhutan in July 2011. Since the country announced its 2020 COVID-19 lockdown, at least four tigers and six leopards have been killed by poachers. WTI via AP -
A tiger skin was seized by the forest officials of Tamil Nadu state in southern India in April 2010. WTI via AP -
A tiger skull was seized by Indian law enforcement authorities at the border with Bhutan in June 2015. WTI via AP -
A pangolin looks for food on private property in Johannesburg, South Africa. Often caught in parts of Africa and Asia, the anteater-like animals are smuggled mostly to China and Southeast Asia, where their meat is considered a delicacy and scales are used in traditional medicine. AP Photo
Great apes have formed a significant segment of exotic animal traffic to and through the UAE from Africa and Asia.
Dr Stiles identified trafficking trends with the Project to End Great Ape Slavery (PEGAS).
PEGAS documented 47 online illegal buyers or sellers of great apes based in the UAE.
At least 200 different social media accounts were identified via photos and videos posted of great apes for sale, comprising at least 133 chimps, 55 orangutans, one bonobo and two gorillas.
Most of the great apes identified were thought to have originated from prime locations across Africa, including Guinea, which is home to the largest remaining, critically endangered West African chimpanzee.
From 2017 to 2020, Guinea reported 33 chimpanzee seizures to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in its annual illegal trade summary, more than any other party.
Other chimps in captivity or for sale online are understood to have been seized and smuggled out of the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Africa and Uganda.
Since 2020 and the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, more than 100 great apes were seized in trafficking attempts in Africa.
Dr Stiles said collecting dung or hair samples from chimps to map their origin could pose a problem for investigators.
“If it’s a seizure, it would be easier, if the authorities would allow an investigator to collect samples,” he said.
“If it’s a chimp in a private zoo or someone’s pet, it would be a much bigger challenge.”
