Stolen Apes

extrapolations

are ever confiscated. Law enforcement experts estimate that no more than 10 per cent of all contraband is seized, however even an estimated scenario where 50 per cent of all trafficked great apes are confiscated yields troubling numbers. Between 2005 and 2011, an average of 2,021 chimpanzees, 150 bonobos, 420 gorillas, and 528 orangutans were lost each year. This means that during that period, a total average of 3,174 great apes disappeared each year from the forests of Africa and Asia through illegal hunting and trade.

Because the existing data is so limited, it is impossible to accu- rately gauge the true impact of the illegal trade of great apes. However, even a conservative estimate based on existing know­ ledge suggests that large numbers of wild apes die each year. Population-loss estimates require two assumptions: 1) an unde- termined number of great apes die as a result of poaching and trafficking; and 2) only a fraction of the great apes illegally traded

Number of great apes counted, presumed dead and lost, 2005–2011

Presumed Dead 6,430 480

Undetected Losses (x2) 7,073 528

Total Lost 14,146

Confiscated/Confirmed 643

Chimpanzee Bonobo Gorilla Orangutan Total

1,056 2,940 4,076 22,218

48 98

1,372 1,019 9,301

1,470 2,038 11,109

1,019 1,808

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