Duke Primate Conservation 2025

  Chimpanzees and Genetic Adaptations – Potential Explanations for Disease Transmission/Resistance :   In a recent study published in Jan. 2025, there were findings that suggested genetic adaptations within Chimpanzees being similar to human adaptations towards an environment. To study the phenomenon, researchers examined fecal samples and utilized computational biology techniques to examine the DNA of chimpanzees. One of their main findings was discovering genes that resembled human malaria resistance genes.   Examining the exomes/protein coding regions of 822 wild chimpanzees across 30 different populations that varied in geographical and ecological ranges, the work looked at genetic information across different local populations. From there, they identified different genetic variants that seemed to be m ore common among certain regions.   It was found that the genes GYPA and HBB were found to be much more prevalent among species that lived in forest areas. T...

   Image by Programme HURO via Wikimedia Commons     With a growing demand for exotic pets in India as well the recent social media boom, gibbons have become a hot commodity in the illegal wildlife trade. Despite legislation such as the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 and CITES, gibbon trafficking is still bringing these primates into India from Southeast Asia. Gibbon trafficking is also only exacerbated by the growing wealth across Asia and the rise in popularity of Tiktok, with exotic pets becoming more affordable to the wealthy and Tiktok trends expanding the market.      To obtain an infant, traffickers often kill the mother, causing severe disruption to the gibbon’s complex social structures. Even if the young gibbons survive, their journey is fraught with harm— drugged and stuffed into suitcases without food or water. Many die before reaching their destination and those that are rescued are kept in captivity. " A siamang gibbon seized in Che...

Jake Frietze - Blog Post 1, Feb 13 Looking through your bag at the airport, you might expect TSA to find deodorant, belts, a laptop but least of all a small gibbon face staring up at you! The trade of wildlife has been one dark character of human society since we were able to capture animals. This has historically led to many declines in endangered populations, accidental killings of non-target species, and traumatization of survivors. Today, the buying and selling of exotic animals has been prohibted through law an some regulations, but many endangered and exotic specimen fall victim to smugglers to be sold as pets, exotic meat, and decorative and/or medicinal body parts. India is one of the 20 countries most affected by the illegal wildlife market; this is due to its dense population increasing anonymity and decreasing traceability of illegal products, its high level of biodiverse and exotic species, its many shared border easing smuggling, and poorly-adept regulations which often fa...

The intersection of agriculture and conservation has long been fraught with tension, but nowhere is this paradox more pronounced than in the shrinking forests of Sumatra. A recent New York Times exposé by Wyatt Williams reveals a sobering reality: while conservationists celebrate a modest recovery in Sumatran tiger populations, the very habitat these big cats depend on is rapidly disappearing—cleared, acre by acre, for coffee farms. Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, harbors some of the world’s most extraordinary biodiversity, from rhinoceroses to the towering Rafflesia flower. Yet, despite its protected status, it is being eroded by an intricate web of smallholder coffee farmers, middlemen, and multinational corporations. These farmers, many of whom arrived decades ago seeking refuge from economic hardship or political turmoil, are caught in a system that prioritizes cheap, anonymous robusta beans—used primarily in instant coffee—over sustainability. M...

Michel Lulo Primate Conservation February 13, 2025 Images by Vincent Nijman Bali is usually recognized for its beautiful landscapes and culture. However, it hides a troubling secret, an illegal trade in primate skulls that flourishes in tourist markets. A recent study published in Primate Conservation reveals that between 2013 and 2024, researchers documented over 750 primate skulls for sale, including those of protected species like orangutans, gibbons, and macaques, meaning that a good amount of the primates involved in the trade were killed. Indonesia has strict wildlife protection laws and international bans under CITES, but regardless, these skulls are openly sold, with vendors even offering advice on smuggling them out of the country. This issue echoes broader themes in primate conservation, particularly the tension between cultural traditions, economic incentives, and species protection. In past readings, we read about how habitat destruction and poaching, which is often driven ...

James Peng Professor Joseph Feldblum Fortress Conservation and the Displacement of Indigenous People The eastern lowland gorillas (Gorilla beringei graueri) also known as Grauer's gorillas are the largest living primates. For decades, the relationship between the indigenous Batwa people and the critically endangered Grauer’s gorillas in DRC’s Kahuzi-Biega National Park has been debated. A recent study published in the journal World Development showed that armed conflicts and civil unrest in the region rather than the activities of the indigenous Batwa people have negatively impacted the population of the gorillas in the park.  Gorillas are a tourist attraction at the  Kahuzi-Biega  National Park In the 1970s, 6,000 Batwa people were forcibly evicted from the park as part of a government-led conservation plan. This left many impoverished, marginalized, and even forced to live in roadside squatter camps. This action has been justified under the logic of fortress conser...

Ryan Pon 13 Feb 2025 How Rebuilding Forests Helped Pangolins, Orangutans and People A sun bear in Borneo Gunung Palung National Park in Indonesia     A recent article on the New York Times highlights a successful reforestation project in Borneo, where local community efforts helped restore degraded land. This project benefitted both endangered wildlife and nearby residents. Led by Health in Harmony and Alam Sehat Lestari, the project transformed abandoned rice paddies and dire-prone grassland into thriving forest. They did so by planting native seedlings, dug firebreaks and watered the area during droughts, which quickly created a canopy. Camera traps in 2020 recorded 47 species, including endangered Sunda pangolins and Bornean orangutans, demonstrating the ecosystem's recovery.      Borneo is home to 6% of the world's biodiversity but has suffered massive deforestation due to palm oil plantations and illegal logging. Conservationists have since integrated healt...