Pan Africa News The Newsletter of the Committee for the Care and Conservation of Chimpanzees, and the Mahale Wildlife Conservation Society DECEMBER 2002 VOL. 9, NO. 2 P. A . N . EDITORIAL STAFF Contents Chief Editor: Toshisada Nishida, Kyoto University, Japan <FORUM> Establishing a long-term veterinary project Associate Editors: for free-ranging chimpanzees in Tanzania Christophe Boesch, Max-Planck Institute, Germany By Magdalena Lukasik 13 Jane Goodall, Jane Goodall Institute, USA <FORUM> Takayoshi Kano, Kyoto Sangyo University, Japan Chimpanzee viewing and regulation: Mahale Tetsuro Matsuzawa, Kyoto University, Japan Mountains National Park William C. McGrew, Miami University, USA Vernon Reynolds, Oxford University, UK By Zoe Purcell 17 Yukimaru Sugiyama, Tokai-Gakuen University, Japan <NOTE> Shigeo Uehara, Kyoto University, Japan New record of algae feeding and scooping by Richard W. Wrangham, Harvard University, USA Pan t. troglodytes at Lokoué Bai in Odzala National Park, Republic of Congo. Editorial Secretaries: By C. Devos, S. Gatti, & F. Levréro 19 Koichiro Zamma, Kyoto University, Japan Michio Nakamura, Japan Monkey Centre, Japan <NOTE> Kazuhiko Hosaka, Kamakura Women’s University, Japan Social scratch among chimpanzees in Gombe Michael A. Huffman, Kyoto University, Japan By Masaki Shimada 21 <NOTE> Competition between baboons and chimpanzees Instructions to Authors: at Mahale Pan Africa News welcomes your contributions. It By Toshisada Nishida 23 publishes news, forums, reviewed articles and notes, book reviews, letters to editor, and classified ads <NEWS> (restricted to non-profit organizations) on any aspect Human baby killed by Gombe chimpanzee of conservation and research regarding chimpanzees By Shadrack Kamenya 26 and bilias. Contributors are requested to write in <EDITORIAL> English and the papers except forum should usually be A request for conservation NGO/NPOs: 1,000 words or less. Manuscripts should be submitted by e-mail to: for the great apes’ “World Heritage Status” [email protected] By PAN Editors 26 Photos and figures, however, should be sent by <LETTER TO EDITOR> air mail to: T. Nishida, Dept. of Zoology, Graduate Orphanage of great ape babies School of Science, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa- Oiwakecho, Sakyo, Kyoto, Japan. By Augustin Kanyunyi Basabose 27 Publication of the next issue will be June 2003. Deadline for manuscripts is the end of April. <FORUM> are still many—probably too many, chimpanzees Establishing a Long-term Vet- in captivity. But situation is very different when erinary Project for Free-Ranging it comes to the free-ranging communities. The range of problems jeopardising their exis- Chimpanzees in Tanzania tence is wide: bush-meat trade in Central and Western Africa, deforestation all around their Magdalena Lukasik, MDV natural habitat, finally: antropozoonotic diseases, Jane Goodall Institute, Gombe Stream which so easily cross the inter-species barrier Research Center, P.O. Box 185 Kigoma between human researchers, tourists and local inhabitants to the apes in forest. Generally speaking, Pan troglodytes is not an en- There are no records of chimpanzee hunting dangered species. Not as the whole species. There Printed on recycled paper 14 Pan Africa News, 9(2), December, 2002 in Tanzania, but two latter factors combined Veterinary Project working in Virunga National caused the death of about 25% population of Park in Rwanda, Uganda and Congo-Zaire. chimpanzees in the Gombe National Park in Tan- The attempts to establish similar Project for zania in the last decade. Reports from the Mahale free-ranging chimpanzees have started in Tan- Mountains National Park also indicate recent zania in October 2001, when the Chimpanzee noticeable decrease in the ape population. Health Project has been established within Due to scale of the problem and variety of Gombe Stream Research Center JGI in Gombe factors involved, it seems inevitable that people National Park. After one year of this study, which involved in various fields of research, conserva- was the pilot one, conducted without any veteri- tion and education join their forces to stop this nary facility yet present, lots of valuable infor- process. Because diseases, especially the mation about such project requirements and anthropozoonoses, are responsible for the death possibilities were gathered. of many of these animals (in Gombe at least 16 The Project work consisted of four main parts: chimpanzees died due to antropozoonotic illness- es in only last 6 years), it seems important that 1. Everyday monitoring of the chimpanzee the team includes also the veterinary component. health status, including observation and There are wildlife veterinarians working in sample collection from both healthy and sick Tanzania, who can be invited to collaboration, but animals. in case of great apes some specific knowledge and 2. Autopsy of every animal—including other skills are required comparing to working with species, found dead in the forest. other African wildlife. 3. Investigation and, in certain cases, treatment There are three facts to explain such an during general disease outbreaks. opinion. First, unlike most other wildlife veteri- 4. Close collaboration with TANAPA and Re- narians, an ape doctor works on foot, following searchers in order to decrease the risk of his patients around thick forest, carrying all antropozoonotic and zoonotic diseases within equipment, for many hours in a row. Second, the Park. dealing with the animals of such complex be- It included the regular social work programs: haviour and social life, it is very important to teaching (health seminars), vaccination in spend lot of time learning to understand their case of disease risk and general investigation reactions to different situations, including the to estimate the health status of the human health disorders. In order to gather this know- and non-human primates living in Gombe ledge veterinarian has to spend reasonable time National Park. just following his targets and watching them carefully for many hours. Also, especially when 1. Monitoring: Observation and Non- darting wild chimpanzees is very difficult, non- Invasive Sample Collection invasive sampling is a main part of practice. As indicated by the pilot study, if there is an on- Again, this requires long-term, regular follows. going research project at the site, this part of Third reason is due to genetical closeness of work can and preferably should be done in collab- apes and humans, which means that doctor and oration with researchers and their assistants. patient can possibly share almost all pathogens, The credits of such collaboration are substan- which therefore creates considerable risk for both tial and mutual. of them. Also, because apes are closer related to Due to the risk of antropozoonotic diseases it people than other animals, working with them is highly advisable to decrease number of people often requires close collaboration with human in contact with chimpanzees. Involving research- doctors and laboratories rather than these of vet- ers in basic veterinary monitoring and sampling erinary medicine. seems the best policy allowing to obtain more The possible solution for the problem is to thorough data without presence of additional vet- establish the project specialised in working with erinary assistants in forest. wild chimpanzees, following the example of Also, because of their everyday presence Morris Animal Foundation Mountain Gorilla around animals and good knowledge of chim- Pan Africa News, 9(2), December, 2002 15 panzee behaviour, researchers of diet and range • Hair (parasites, DNA) are able to notice many abnormalities sooner • Discharges: pus, sputum, exudates (bacteria, than veterinarian, who lacks this experience. So virus, parasites, cytology, DNA) not only they can be help with the data and • Blood—very small amount obtainable (bacteria, sample collection, but also may serve as the virus, parasites, antibodies, DNA). teachers for the veterinary team. If the simple Health Monitoring Sheets are 2. Autopsy used, the basic information can be recorded on Simultaneously to being the important source of every day base and the data compared within the diagnostic material, autopsy work with chimpan- long period of time. These sheets should be easy zees creates, much bigger than in case of other to understand by the non-vet assistants and species, risk for the humans involved. It is ex- ideally always carried by them during the forest tremely important to provide the safe conditions work. for this work, including the separate post mortem On the other hand, involving veterinarian in room and limiting number of people who have the behavioural research often helps explain certain contact with potentially highly infectious mate- abnormalities of behaviour connected with a rial. disease. Because of many pathogens shared by differ- Also post mortem findings can help under- ent primates, and even non-primate species in stand some unusual behaviour and a vet, follow- forest, it is important that any animal found dead ing the pattern of injuries and autopsy finding in a forest should be carefully examined and can help understand some facts of predatory and samples collected for the future laboratory test- intra- and intercommunity aggression. In addi- ing. tion a material collected for veterinary purpose can be simultaneously used for other research 3. Disease Investigation and Treatment purposes, for example urine collection for regular As in case of everyday health monitoring,