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Description
Conté and charcoal

"Apes are distinguished as being among the very few items on the menu capable (before preparation) of laughter as an expression of mirth." -Dale Peterson, "Eating Apes"

As the rainforests are being cut down to satisfy the demands of European and Asian consumers, there has grown a wide web of easy access roads into the heart of Africa’s forests, exposing the populations of primates, forest elephants, and other threatened species to contact with loggers and poachers. While this was once a small local sustenance trade, this new demand in ape meat has caused it to grow into an international industry. For the seriously endangered wild apes, the results have been devastating, and local governments have posed little to stop the illegal trade. Bushmeat is the number one threat to African and Asian wildlife today. Approximately 1 million metric tonnes of bushmeat is illegally caught each year, but this will not last. It is NOT a sustainable food source.
The problem is the same in South East Asia, where there are only 20 000 Orangutans left in the wild. For gorillas, there are even less. Within 15 years, gorillas, chimps, and forest elephants are likely to be extinct.

Not only does this increased demand for primate meat threaten the already devastated ape populations, but it poses a serious public health concern. With exposure to foreign ape meat, human populations are a serious risk to new and emerging diseases. Ebola, AIDS, Simian Foamy Virus and T-Cell leukemia are all known to have been transmitted from wild ape populations. AIDS is known to have emerged from a reciprocal simian chimp strain, SIV, which was most likely transmitted when the animal was consumed.

“Every time we open up a new forest, we take new risks. And every time we hunt a chimp,
all mankind takes a risk.” -Karl Ammann

Gorillas and Coltan

Did you Know...

..That COLTAN is a necessary metal used in your CELL PHONES in the battery, and it is helping fund a war in the Democratic Republic of Congo?

...That it is being mined from protected rainforests, which is causing an overwhelming impact to the environment??

..That most of it is sold illegally to pay for guns?

..That acres of protected rainforests are being cut down every minute to mine for Coltan?

..That miners and loggers hunt and EAT wild apes?

..That many coltan miners are children?

..That the Coltan industry has caused a devastating
human and economic toll?

..THAT CELL PHONES CAN BE RECYCLED??

This is a serious issue that most people are not aware of. We rarely think that those things that have become so socially acceptable and easily dispensable as cellphones are actually having a significant impact on the people and world around us.

Like the diamond trade of Sierra Leone’s civil war, Coltan is fueling a resource war in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is causing the suffering of millions of civilians.
Also, our closest relatives (gorillas, chimps, bonobos) are at the brink of extinction, and very few are aware of this. They are intelligent, sentient beings, not deserving of the harvesting and slaughter they now face.

WHAT WE CAN DO
There are more and more ways to recycle your old electronics: Many cell phone stores will accept old phones, and some cell phone recycling programs will pay you to send in your own phones. Many zoos are becoming involved, and have stations for dispensing old phones and batteries.

This issue is close to my heart, and I will try everything in my power to spread the world. I can’t imagine a future without these beings- the closest link to our past.

For Information on:
The Bushmeat Crisis: [link]
Coltan and the DRC: [link]
Cell Phone Recycling: [link]
The Toronto Zoo and Affiliates: [link]
Roots and Shoots Club: [link]

PLEASE RECYCLE YOUR OLD CELL PHONES,
AND HELP ENSURE THEIR FUTURE.

....

Description
Conté and charcoal

"Apes are distinguished as being among the very few items on the menu capable (before preparation) of laughter as an expression of mirth." -Dale Peterson, "Eating Apes"

As the rainforests are being cut down to satisfy the demands of European and Asian consumers, there has grown a wide web of easy access roads into the heart of Africa’s forests, exposing the populations of primates, forest elephants, and other threatened species to contact with loggers and poachers. While this was once a small local sustenance trade, this new demand in ape meat has caused it to grow into an international industry. For the seriously endangered wild apes, the results have been devastating, and local governments have posed little to stop the illegal trade. Bushmeat is the number one threat to African and Asian wildlife today. Approximately 1 million metric tonnes of bushmeat is illegally caught each year, but this will not last. It is NOT a sustainable food source.
The problem is the same in South East Asia, where there are only 20 000 Orangutans left in the wild. For gorillas, there are even less. Within 15 years, gorillas, chimps, and forest elephants are likely to be extinct.

Not only does this increased demand for primate meat threaten the already devastated ape populations, but it poses a serious public health concern. With exposure to foreign ape meat, human populations are a serious risk to new and emerging diseases. Ebola, AIDS, Simian Foamy Virus and T-Cell leukemia are all known to have been transmitted from wild ape populations. AIDS is known to have emerged from a reciprocal simian chimp strain, SIV, which was most likely transmitted when the animal was consumed.

“Every time we open up a new forest, we take new risks. And every time we hunt a chimp,
all mankind takes a risk.” -Karl Ammann

Gorillas and Coltan

Did you Know...

..That COLTAN is a necessary metal used in your CELL PHONES in the battery, and it is helping fund a war in the Democratic Republic of Congo?

...That it is being mined from protected rainforests, which is causing an overwhelming impact to the environment??

..That most of it is sold illegally to pay for guns?

..That acres of protected rainforests are being cut down every minute to mine for Coltan?

..That miners and loggers hunt and EAT wild apes?

..That many coltan miners are children?

..That the Coltan industry has caused a devastating
human and economic toll?

..THAT CELL PHONES CAN BE RECYCLED??

This is a serious issue that most people are not aware of. We rarely think that those things that have become so socially acceptable and easily dispensable as cellphones are actually having a significant impact on the people and world around us.

Like the diamond trade of Sierra Leone’s civil war, Coltan is fueling a resource war in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is causing the suffering of millions of civilians.
Also, our closest relatives (gorillas, chimps, bonobos) are at the brink of extinction, and very few are aware of this. They are intelligent, sentient beings, not deserving of the harvesting and slaughter they now face.

WHAT WE CAN DO
There are more and more ways to recycle your old electronics: Many cell phone stores will accept old phones, and some cell phone recycling programs will pay you to send in your own phones. Many zoos are becoming involved, and have stations for dispensing old phones and batteries.

This issue is close to my heart, and I will try everything in my power to spread the world. I can’t imagine a future without these beings- the closest link to our past.

For Information on:
The Bushmeat Crisis: [link]
Coltan and the DRC: [link]
Cell Phone Recycling: [link]
The Toronto Zoo and Affiliates: [link]
Roots and Shoots Club: [link]

PLEASE RECYCLE YOUR OLD CELL PHONES,
AND HELP ENSURE THEIR FUTURE.

....