National Geographic Society

The Year of the Gorilla ambassador, Ian Redmond, (OBE), on Sunday 26 July 2009 participated in a discussion on the BBC1's 'The Big Question'. One of the big questions on that day was whether apes, such as gorilla's and chimpanzees, should be given rights.

For Ian Redmond, who has spent "hundreds of hours in the company of apes", and even "become friends" with some of them, some basic rights should definitely be accorded these majestic creatures. In a post on the Year of the Gorilla blog at WildlifeDirect, Ian says that great apes are very similar to humans in many aspects such that they have been classed into the same biological family as humans - Hominidae.

That said, his argument for apes rights is that great apes are self conscious animals with cognitive abilities similar to a those of a human child and should therefore have similar rights. Ian laments that despite apes being biologically classed together with humans, in law, they still have the legal standing of a piece of furniture. He says:

It seems to me (and many others) quite wrong that a self-aware social mammal with cognitive abilities similar to a child has the same legal standing as a chair, i.e. a possession to be bought and sold. To me, great apes deserve respect, and the granting of basic rights in law might change atavistic attitudes and help prevent the abuses that humans inflict on them.

In most countries without wild ape populations, captive apes can be bought and sold legally, and any protection they do have in law is accorded mainly because they are endangered species or because they are animals and covered by anti-cruelty laws.

To Ian, these laws are interpreted to mean physical abuse and thus do not constitute 'rights'. For rights he proposes that we take the path charted by the Great Apes Project (GAP) which seeks the right to life, liberty and freedom from torture.

The debate over ape rights is an ethical one. Some think that giving apes rights is equating them to humans. This is evident because most people agree that there is a need for greater respect for, and better conservation of, great apes. When 'rights' are mentioned however, distinct polarities emerge among those who had previously agreed. You can however differentiate the rights that GAP proposes for great apes from those sought for humans by reading the GAP recommendations (for ape rights) and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Ian recommends, in the short term, a "focus on educating people about apes to increase respect for their cognitive abilities and social skills". After this, he reckons, "the logic of granting them rights might not seem such a radical idea..."

Where do you stand?

Children living adjacent to the Virunga Massif in Rwanda have been invited to perform in this year's annual gorilla naming ceremony, Kwita Izina. The 150 primary school children will be performing the Mu Birunga song which refers to the home of the Mountain Gorilla, the Virunga Massif, and seeks to deepen the relationship between humans and gorillas.

The Kwita Izina ceremony has grown from a small local event to an event with global reach as it celebrates Rwanda's most treasured natural asset, the Mountain Gorilla. During the event, all baby gorillas born since the last ceremony are given names in the midst of pomp and fanfare characteristic of human name giving in this part of the world.

This year, eighteen (18) mountain gorillas will be given names during the ceremony at the Volcanoes National Park. Since it coincides with the "International Year of the Gorilla," the theme for this year is "Celebrating the Year of the Gorilla". Under this theme, they shall celebrate the efforts of all those that have contributed to the welfare of their wildlife and its conservation and give opportunity to everyone to contribute to the sustainability of conservation for Gorillas.

This will be the first time the Art of Conservation group - whose core mission is helping the people who live near the gorillas to live healthier lives so that both the human and animal populations can be healthy - will be sending a performance in this prestigious event. The AoC group want to stress the interconnectedness of the gorillas and the Rwandan people at the Kwita Izina.

The schoolchildren have been practicing hard for their performance as the date of the ceremony, 20 June 2009, draws near. We wish them the best of luck.

You can donate here to support these young children as they go out to educate the world about these rare majestic great apes.

Despite raging conflict in the Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mountain Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla beringei) population is reported to have increased by 12.5%. This is indeed a very good piece of information after it was reported that across the border in Uganda's Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, the population of the same species has declined.

Dr Paula Kahumbu, CEO of WildlifeDirect rejoiced at the news while blogging at the Gorilla Protection blog at WildlifeDirect.org.

We are all celebrating at WidlifeDirect with the good news that the mountain gorillas in Virunga National Park have not been affected by the conflict there. In fact the population has increased by 10 new babies between August 2007 and January 2009.

Paula quotes a press release issued by the Virunga National Park authorities which indicate that the population of the habituated mountain gorillas has increased by 12.5% over the last 16 months.

DR Congo's habituated Mountain Gorilla population in Virunga National Park increased by 12.5 percent from 72 to 81 gorillas between August 2007 and January 2009, according to the results of an 8-week census conducted by the Congolese Wildlife Authority (ICCN) released today. Based on a previous 2003 census, Park Rangers also estimate 120 non-habituated Mountain Gorillas in the 250 sq km Mikeno Sector of the park, the only area in DR Congo that is home to Mountain Gorillas, bringing the country's Mountain Gorilla population total to circa 211.

More than 50 Park Rangers conducted about 128 patrols during the census, and identified 6 gorilla families in the Mikeno gorilla sector and 3 solitary Silverbacks. The largest family was found to be the Kabirizi Family, with 33 individuals including 5 newborns. The Rugendo family - victim of the July 2007 massacre - was found to have increased from 5 to 9 members. This number includes 2 Silverbacks vying for control of the group.

The survey found no evidence of gorilla mortality, although 536 snares laid by poachers were found and removed by Park Rangers. This represents a significant increase in snaring as compared to previous findings. Although snares are laid to catch small antelope and other forest animals, gorillas, especially infants, are sometimes caught in the snares and may die of loose a limb.

The survey report is available in the official Virunga website