Kubana, a 9-year old female Mountain gorilla, recently switched from Ugenda’s group to Titus’ group in Rwanda when the gorillas encountered one another in the forest. This is a common occurrence for females seeking to breed. For more, visit http://bit.ly/V8MR1O http://on.fb.me/VjgUtv
Doug Cress, Sarah Cheroben, Edith Albert and Steve Ryan represented GRASP in the United Nations World AIDS Day 5K Run that was held Nov. 30 at UNEP headquarters in Nairobi. http://on.fb.me/YwVPwy
The IUCN-Species Survival Commission (SSC) has issued revised guidelines for reintroduction, which could help fortify great ape reintroduction projects in Africa and Asia. For more, visit http://bit.ly/U5ZGZO. http://on.fb.me/TxsuhK
The tension and conflict in eastern DR Congo following the capture of Goma by M23 rebel armies is felt by primate sanctuaries and conservation teams throughout the region, according to a New Scientist article. To read, visit http://bit.ly/V4kpjK. http://on.fb.me/RkLW2W
The first-ever court hearing against a palm oil company was postponed this week when the defendant, PT Kallista Alam, failed to appear. PT Kallista Alam is being sued by Indonesia’s environment ministry for illegally burning and destroying large sections of the Tripa peat swamp in Sumatra in September. Said prosecution lawyer Ryan Palasi: “This suggests the defendant is not taking the proceedings seriously and is not committed to settling the case.” For more, visit http://bit.ly/V3ShgB. http://on.fb.me/SrUXpl
The Bonobo Conservation Initiative (BCI) has a new website and new Facebook and Twitter updates. Check it out at www.bonobo.org. http://on.fb.me/Sgh8gJwww.bonobo.org. http://on.fb.me/Sgh8gJ
A high-level prefect in Gabon charged with poaching is facing 18 months in prison and two of his hunters face 12 months each in judicial proceedings currently underway. The cases, which were supported by Conservation Justice, could be decided as early as Dec. 6. For more, visit http://bit.ly/Sgaqaz http://on.fb.me/110Ox3H
A visit to the Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary in Sierra Leone prompted a Scientific American columnist to re-think the use of chimpanzees in entertainment. For more, visit http://bit.ly/U9y9c3. http://on.fb.me/VdkYvl
Las Vegas chimpanzee trainer Mike Casey has vowed to fight a local government decision to force him to move his 4 chimpanzees to a less populated area. Casey’s “A Great Ape Experience” brings chimpanzees to parties and other event. For more, visit http://bit.ly/To1Fdt. http://on.fb.me/XZIVYL
Uganda’s military chief said Tuesday that the M23 rebel group has agreed to withdraw from the DR Congo cities of Goma and Sake and instead press its grievances through the ICGLR (Great Lakes) mechanism, thereby perhaps avoiding further hostilities in the region. For more information, visit http://reut.rs/SadHYQ. http://on.fb.me/QIz5HN
Wildlife police officers from 10 central and west African countries recently took part in a 6-day Interpol training course in Cote d’Ivoire to develop skills to effectively prevent and investigate wildlife crime, in collaboration with Environment Canada and French Gendarmerie Nationale, funded by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW). For more, visit http://bit.ly/U0po1K. http://on.fb.me/TrztZj
Dar, an adult male chimpanzee at Central Washington University’s Chimpanzee and Human Communication Institute who learned to communicate through sign language, died today at the age of 36. Born at an air force base in New Mexico, Dar was part of the family group assembled around Washoe, the first chimpanzee to learn a human sign language. For more, visit http://bit.ly/Yj1LJe. http://on.fb.me/U7mA5m
Volcanoes Safaris reports that all 9 members of the Nyakagezi Mountain gorilla group have returned to Gahinga, Uganda. For more, visit http://bit.ly/V8bjX1. http://on.fb.me/UWhI1g
Gorillas, chimpanzees, orangutans and gibbons were part of an endangered primates series issued by Sierra Leone between 2009-2011. http://on.fb.me/TYJBoK
A gorilla was included in Sierra Leone’s annual wildlife coin set in 2005. http://on.fb.me/TYJB88
An orangutan was chosen for Vietnam’s http://on.fb.me/YiwS7O
A chimpanzee was featured in Sierra Leone’s annual set of wildlife coins in 2006. http://on.fb.me/YiwUMT
The African Union has demanded M23 rebels currently occupying Goma stop fighting and withdraw from the city, and welcomed a commitment by the DR Congo government to resolve rebels’ grievances. For more, visit http://bit.ly/Tdctuc. http://on.fb.me/Qkuvy7
DR Congo Update: M23 rebel forces repelled government attacks and now hold the town of Sake in North Kivu as a regional cease-fire summit is readied. Thousands of refugees have begun to descend on Goma — already under rebel control — in search of protection, creating fears of a humanitarian crisis. For more, visit http://reut.rs/UQGdNA. http://on.fb.me/V3kg3H
A male chimpanzee rescued from a private zoo in Lebanon has been transferred to the Great Ape Project (GAP) - Brazil sanctuary in Sao Jose dos Pinhais (PR). Nicknamed “Chara,” the 10-year old chimpanzee was moved through the support of Animals Lebanon. For more, visit http://glo.bo/TkgD6r. http://on.fb.me/TTfP4N
A wild male Bornean orangutan rescued recently from a village in Central Kalimantan has been released back into the forests of the Lamandau River Wildlife Reserve by the Orangutan Foundation. Nicknamed “Gagah” – which means “handsome” in the Bahasa language – is estimated to be 20 years of age. For more, visit http://bit.ly/XJdfH7. http://on.fb.me/TT0yAM
Lola ya Bonobo founder Claudine Andre was recently honored with the “Présence Congo pour l’environnement” award, recognizing her work in bonobo conservation. For more, visit http://bit.ly/TT0Acb. http://on.fb.me/XJddie
GRASP work featured in an international info-graphic on mountain gorillas . http://on.fb.me/Ti2NBH
The French Senate has approved the so-called “Nutella Tax,” which raises the levy on palm oil imports by 400%. The vote has angered Malaysian palm oil syndicates, who are aggressively lobbying the French National Assembly to block the vote. For more, visit http://bit.ly/TReFGZ. http://on.fb.me/R1unoo
After a prolonged campaign by Egyptian animal welfare groups, Central Zoos officials have finally agreed to transfer a solitary male chimpanzee, Meshmesh, from the Alexandria Zoo to the Giza Zoo in Cairo, where he will be closer to 5 other chimpanzees. For more information, visit http://bit.ly/UUHXWn http://on.fb.me/WBiGpU
M23 rebel armies moved south overnight towards Bukavu in eastern DR Congo, and have established a 20-kilometer perimeter that essentially encircles the Lwiro Primate Rehabilitation Center. Lwiro officials report calm at present, but GRASP, PASA and other organizations are monitoring the situation. For more, visit http://on.fb.me/SVuNIa. http://on.fb.me/QbX5BF
The leaders of Rwanda, Uganda and DR Congo issued a joint demand for M23 rebel armies to leave Goma – the eastern DR Congo city they took on Tuesday – and DR Congo president Joseph Kabila indicated he may be willing to negotiate with rebel leaders. For more, visit http://bit.ly/UKWzau. http://on.fb.me/Uglzdr
Aan, the female orangutan that had been shot 104 times by air gun pellets before being rescued, is slowly recovering under the care of the Orangutan Foundation. But due to impaired vision as a result of her injuries, Aan requires fruit to be placed in her hands. For more, visit http://on.fb.me/WxrrkR. http://on.fb.me/UkK3QQ
Twenty-one rehabilitated orangutans released back into the Bukit Batikap conservation forest in Borneo recently could not contain their joy. For more information, visit http://bit.ly/10c9DM8 http://on.fb.me/10sSs86
Rebel armies that captured Goma in eastern DR Congo on Nov. 20 said today that they next plan to liberate all of DR Congo. Talks between the leaders of Rwanda, DR Congo and Uganda are underway, but a pro-M23 rebel rally at a stadium in Goma has not quieted tensions and the United Nations Security Council has condemned the takeover. GRASP partners with operations based in Goma – including the Wildlife Conservation Society, Congolese wildlife authority (ICCN), the Jane Goodall Institute, and Fauna & Flora International – have reported today that local staff are currently safe. For more, visit http://reut.rs/SRSili. http://on.fb.me/10bVHlh
GRASP is seeking to monitor the deteriorating security situation in Goma, the eastern DR Congo city that was breached by M23 rebel armies on November 20. Many GRASP partners base regional operations out of Goma, and regular updates will be provided via Facebook, Twitter and www.un-grasp.org. http://on.fb.me/RQWCTBwww.un-grasp.org. http://on.fb.me/RQWCTB
A female orangutan that was rescued from a palm oil plantation by the Orangutan Foundation and the Indonesian Agency for Conservation of Natural Resources (BKSDA-Kalteng) is slowly recovering after it was found she had been shot 104 times by air gun pellets. The orangutan, nicknamed “Aan,” underwent surgery to remove 32 of the pellets, which were scattered all over her body, including vital organs, eyes and ears. For more, visit http://bit.ly/Qrl5Sx. http://on.fb.me/WhvnRZ
The toy drone airplanes highlighted at the 2nd GRASP Council’s “Great Apes & Technology” session have been selected by Scientific American as “World Changing Ideas” for 2012. The planes were developed by GRASP scientific commission chair Serge Wich (Liverpool John Moores University) and Lian Pin Koh (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology). For more, visit http://bit.ly/Q6VL2V. http://on.fb.me/UERal4
A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences indicates that chimpanzees and orangutans suffer from the same mid-life crises as do human beings. Apes face similar social pressures and stress factors as humans, and exhibit the same depression. Co-author Andrew Oswald of the University of Warwick called the results “quite mind-blowing.” For more, visit http://bbc.in/Q5R1ul. http://on.fb.me/Whq3Ol
A young female bonobo rescued from a village in northern DR Congo was brought to the Lola ya Bonobo sanctuary this week, where veterinarians treated her badly wounded right arm. Nicknamed “Bolomba,” the bonobo is estimated to be 7 or 8 years of age. For more info, visit http://bit.ly/XVkieo. http://on.fb.me/WggHCw
Spanish staff and volunteers working to protect great apes and their habitat in Congo are profiled in the TV-Espana (TVE) news magazine, “Espanoles en el mundo” (Spaniards in the World)” To watch, click: http://bit.ly/Q4LmVh http://on.fb.me/SHZfWi
Fans of the Atlanta Silverbacks of the North American Soccer League (NASL) in the U.S. have voted to retain the club’s nickname, following a “Decision 2012” campaign. Next up — a logo design contest. For more, visit http://bit.ly/Wg1xgJ. http://on.fb.me/QoNRDn
Siswi is a 34-year old female orangutan at Camp Leakey in Borneo who taught herself to brush her own teeth. For more information, visit http://bit.ly/Q4sWEl. http://on.fb.me/SHnUKr
We now have 5000 fan likes. Thank you! http://on.fb.me/SZItmh
Cautious optimism as gorillas in midst of population rise
Read more: http://bit.ly/U34kft http://on.fb.me/ZV4yH2
France has angered Malaysia’s palm oil producers by proposing the so-called “Nutella Amendment” tax, which would quadruple – from €100 to €400 / $127 to $509 – the import tax on Malaysian palm oil. Nutella is comprised of roughly 20% palm oil, and although French officials say the tax is intended to curb obesity, the Malaysian Palm Oil Council believes otherwise. For more information, visit http://nyti.ms/T2PiWm. http://on.fb.me/TKSqot
