'Hippie chimps' fast disappearing as dinner Sunday, March 5, 2006; Posted: 9:46 p.m. EST (02:46 GMT) MBIHE-MOKELE, Congo (AP) -- Scientists are struggling to save the fast-disappearing bonobo, the gentle "hippie chimp" known for resolving squabbles through sex rather than violence. Unfortunately, bonobos are prized by Congolese for their tasty meat, and many villagers who are illegally hunting the wiry, wizen-faced apes don't realize how close their prey is to extinction. "Bonobos are an icon for peace and love, the world's 'hippie chimps,"' said Sally Coxe of the Washington-based Bonobo Conservation Initiative. "To let them die off would be a catastrophe." The animals are known for greeting rival groups with genital handshakes and sensual body rubs. Bonobo spats are swiftly settled -- often with a French kiss and a quick round of sex. continued here Man how sad is that. I didn't even know there was hippie chimps
well, if people where vegetarians, and not so greedy and hungry for money, the hippy chimp would be left alone....
Thats terrible. Chimpanzees are genetically our closest relatives, I hope they don't go extinct in the wild.
Is that a serious article??? Didn't know they knew how to French... Lol, last I knew we didn't even figure it out until the 1700's or something. Crazy. Maybe we were supressing our inner chimps...
It has nothing to do with greed and money and everything to do with the fact that the Congo is a war torn nation (it is one of the longest ongoing conflicts in the world today, and the bloodiest of the 21st century). Thier agricultural industry has been virtually wiped out so the bush meat trade is not a matter of delicacy but survival. So typical of people 'save the cute randy chimps', how about our fellow brothers and sisters? Invest in the rebuilding of the Congo, empower it's citiziens to feed themselves, make it possible for them to recieve an education and you may just find that in return they pick-up the pieces and resume the ammicable relationship they once had with thier natural environment (an environment which is reverred in thier animistic belief system). But no, most couldn't even point to the Congo on a bloody map let alone try to put into context the severity of it's conflict, and the obscurity of the issue in the western world.
uh, where did you get that from? the chimpanzee does infact have the closest DNA resemblance to us, something like 99.98% common code canine share more commonalities with canines, that's why they're canines, primates share more with primates, that's why they're primates, pretty straight forward man
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/12/08/MNG75G4GLM1.DTL My mistake, I read the article wrong. However, humans and dogs are remarkably similar.
Whilst its lovely for the citizens of the congo to be empowered and all, the bonobo can't be left succumb to extinction. It would be too much of a shame. Primates are going extinct all over the tropics quite rapidly.
I agree, but those chimps live in areas of the world where people have to deal with extreme poverty everyday. so i think they haven't got a chance to choose all the time. those people still should have to be informed about the thread they are to the excistence of the bonobo.
Well said, but I agree with Floyd too. We have to bring more Bonobos out of the jungle and into Primate shelters so as to preserve and protect their genetic lineages.
