. Earth Science News .
Sierra Leone launches first chimp census

The chimp census is a joint project of the agriculture ministry's forestry division, the Pan African Sanctuary Alliance (PASA) and national and international non-governmental organisations.
by Staff Writers
Freetown (AFP) Jan 26, 2009
Sierra Leone has begun its first comprehensive census of wild chimpanzees, the head of the country's largest sanctuary for the primates said on Monday.

"It will cost 220,000 dollars (167,000 euros) and run for approximately 10 months," Balla Amarasekaran, head of the Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary, said.

Amarasekaran explained that the chimp count would help answer key questions about the population and the habitat of the great apes in Sierra Leone and could even set the stage for reintroductions.

"It is estimated that no more than 2,000 chimpanzees currently reside in Sierra Leone's forests but that number was culled from an informal survey carried out in 1981," he told AFP.

Amarasekaran, whose sanctuary on the outskirts of Freetown is the largest in Sierra Leone, said the impact of the country's ruinous civil war and the rapid destruction of forest cover had led some experts to fear that chimpanzees could cease to exist in the wild within 50 years.

Sierra Leone is struggling to get back on its feet after a decade-long civil war from 1991-2001 in which some 120,000 people were killed and thousands were mutilated.

The West African country is home to one of the most endangered chimpanzee species, the Western Chimpanzees who live in the hills above the capital Freetown, according to Amarasekaran.

"We want to protect the existing wild populations and increase knowledge and understanding of these amazing animals," he told AFP.

The chimp census is a joint project of the agriculture ministry's forestry division, the Pan African Sanctuary Alliance (PASA) and national and international non-governmental organisations.

Share This Article With Planet Earth
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit
YahooMyWebYahooMyWeb GoogleGoogle FacebookFacebook



Related Links
Darwin Today At TerraDaily.com



Memory Foam Mattress Review
Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News


Panda mania sweeps Taiwan
Taipei (AFP) Jan 26, 2009
Thousands of people flocked to Taiwan's main zoo Monday as a pair of giant pandas given to the island by China in a sign of improving ties between the rivals made their much-anticipated public debut.







  • Fresh warnings after storm kills 26 in southern Europe
  • France, Spain pick up the pieces after storm kills 21
  • Myanmar cyclone and China quake dominate 2008 toll
  • Indonesia braces for flood-related diseases

  • German coalition at loggerheads over global warming test
  • Clinton picks climate envoy, in another break with Bush
  • Obama to world: we will lead on climate change
  • GOSAT To Monitor Greenhouse Gases

  • Delta 2 Set To Launch Polar Satellite Feb 4
  • ABB Interferometer Rides On Board GOSAT
  • GeoEye-1 Snaps Democracy
  • First Global Hawk Unmanned System For Environmental Science Research

  • Analysis: Oil and Gas Pipeline Watch
  • Renewable energy agency set up in Germany
  • Oil spill in Russian Far East kills hundreds of birds: reports
  • Analysis: Turkmen pipeline security

  • China reports fifth bird flu death this year
  • Cholera from Zimbabwe spreads in Kruger's rivers: spokesman
  • Sixth person infected with bird flu in China: govt
  • Wallet-Sized Malaria Tests Promise Better Diagnoses

  • Sierra Leone launches first chimp census
  • Bacterial Pathogens And Rising Temperatures Threaten Coral Health
  • Panda mania sweeps Taiwan
  • Invasions By Alien Plants Have Been Mapped In European Union

  • Study Links Water Pollution With Declining Male Fertility
  • Blame game as Mexico City trash piles up
  • HK pollution levels 10 times clean air guidelines: scientists
  • Refinery Dust Reveals Clues About Local Polluters

  • Training Key To Keyhole Surgery Meeting EU Time Directives
  • Reduced pollution increases life expectancy: study
  • Pacific People Spread From Taiwan
  • Mummies Calling For Lenin Burial Arrested On Red Square

  • The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2007 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement