Chimpanzees Under Threat Blog about Endangered Animals from Animal Friends Pet Insurance

Save Our Chimps!

The Chimpanzee is considered our closest relative. They are very intelligent and live in close-knit families. Ethical pet insurance customers will probably already know that these beautiful animals are suffering exploitation at our hands. Brutal poachers butcher chimpanzees for the bush meat market. They then take their babies and sell them to people as exotic pets.

Located on Lake Victoria in Uganda there is a chimpanzee sanctuary called Ngamba Island. There are 39 chimpanzees that reside here. All of them were either rescued from poachers or pet traders. They are well taken care of by experienced vets and care givers. They spend most of their time in 100 acre rainforest habitat.

The Chimpanzee is a mammal and is part of the primate family. They have many of the same behaviours as we do. They can easily adapt to a wide range of habitats. You can find chimpanzees in many countries in western and central Africa. Their numbers are dwindling since a lot of their natural habitats have been destroyed.

You can find chimps in both the deciduous and tropical forests. They are mainly vegetarians and eat seeds, fruits, plants and nuts. They will also eat ants, insect larva and fish. Chimps are very perceptive and inventive. They can solve complex problems.

The males are larger than the females and their communities are led by a dominant male. These cute primates spend hours playing together and grooming each other. They have excellent vision and long strong arms for climbing. Their hands and feet are nimble and they have opposable thumbs to grasp objects.

Chimps are amazing animals and everyone should try to help them survive. There are many charity organizations that are fighting to protect these intelligent animals. The Born Free Foundation along with many others, such as the International Primate Protection League are trying to stop the brutal killing of chimpanzees to keep them from becoming extinct.