Enough of the art politics crap, as promised in my first post, here is a video of hilarious anthropomorphosised chimps.
As usual, no one puts our fascination with the Great Apes better than David Attenborough, when during that memorable encounter with Rwandan Mountain Gorrilas he commented as follows: “There is more meaning and mutual understanding in exchanging a glance with a gorilla than any other animal I know. We’re so similar. Their sight, their hearing, their sense of smell, are so similar to ours that we see the world in the same way as they do.” Along with the work of Dian Fossey, Jane Goodall and Birute Galdikas this footage shattered the image of a ferocious beast, instead instilling in the hearts of all that of a gentle giant. Today, we recognise that apes represent the shortest distance in an evolutionary sense between us and the rest of the natural world.
As a result of this fascination, huge amounts of money are ploughed into Great Ape conservation and research by groups such as WWF and The Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Research. The brutal fact that in general no one gives a shit about insects or amphibians means that this massive funding for apes can at least be pumped towards habitat protection. Save an orang-utan and you save a large tract of rainforest, in doing so preventing the destruction of thousands of other organisms. Organisations such as the Jane Goodall Foundation now recognise that in order to address the destruction of habitats, we must also address the root causes of poverty in those communities surrounding natural spaces.Whilst I am uncomfortable with stricken locals as an afterthought, this is the credible future direction for the preservation of natural habitats, through community based conservation. Save a Chimp, Save Yourself.
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