Action of Love

Because most great ape taxa are facing extinction in the wild, conservation measures such as habitat protection, ecosystem restoration, and law enforcement are underway, with varying degrees of success. Re-introduction is an additional measure. Several facilities in Africa and Asia have conducted or are planning great ape re-introductions or translocations, with some projects already well established.

Re-introduction is one tool for conserving great apes and their natural habitats. These guidelines adapt other IUCN documents to pertain specifically to the re-introduction of great apes. The adaptation is justified by alarming declines in great ape populations and the destruction of their habitats, and because great apes are biologically and cognitively specialized and advanced, and generate particular animal welfare concerns.

 

• The re-introduction process should begin by the appointment of a multidisciplinary specialist advisory team. The project manager should write a detailed proposal stating the project’s background, objectives, methodology, schedule and budget addressing each of the subsequent steps listed below. The proposal should include quantifiable measures by which the project’s success can be assessed. The proposal should be reviewed by the advisory team and by external reviewers.
• Re-introduction should be guided by the Precautionary Principle: re-introduction should not endanger resident wild ape populations and their ecosystems. There must also be concern for the health, welfare and security of individual apes. Likewise there must be concern for the health and security of staff working with the apes and for people living near the release site. There should be a complete review of the ecological, behavioural, developmental and cognitive biology of the taxon, as well as a medical risk assessment specifically tailored to the proposed move.
• The release site should be within the historic range of the taxon to be re-introduced, and include sufficient suitable habitat to support a self-sustaining population. (There is provision for introduction outside of historic range and/or into marginal habitat under specific conditions.)
• The original causes of decline of the taxon in the area should have been addressed and resolved.
• There should be secure long-term financial support for the project, and approval from all relevant governmental and regulatory agencies. The re-introduction should be endorsed by local governments and people living near the release site. Local residents should be given preferential access to employment opportunities created by the project.
• The individuals to be re-introduced should be assessed behaviourally, physically and genetically to ensure that they are suitable, and likely to survive re-introduction. Individual apes with significant deficits in survival-critical knowledge and skills should not be re-introduced without sufficient rehabilitation and post-release support to compensate.
• The individuals to be re-introduced must be medically screened and examined, quarantined, treated, vaccinated (where appropriate), and cleared for release, under the supervision of or in full consultation with a qualified veterinarian with great ape experience. Each ape should be permanently identified and have secured individual medical and behavioural records.
• There must be an occupational health programme for staff working with great apes before and after release. The programme should include training on zoonotic disease, and sound, hygienic husbandry practices. There should be a detailed transport and release plan and thorough preparation of the release area prior to moving any apes into the area. The plans should be completely understood by all parties involved.
• There should be a securely funded programme for post-release monitoring that includes behavioural and ecological observations and veterinary surveillance. Monitoring of all or at least a representative sample should continue for at least one year.
• There should be a clearly understood plan for intervening in post-release outcomes, for example, treating an injured ape, and for responding to post-release human-great ape conflict.
• There should be a plan to document and disseminate the outcomes and cost-effectiveness of the
• re-introduction project, using quantifiable measures of success as stated in the original proposal. The documentation of outcomes should be used to evaluate, and change if necessary, the project’s methodology. There should be periodic external evaluation of the project’s outcomes.

A detailed decision tree for how to take action can be found on pages 45-48 of the guidelines.

It is important for planners to recognize that, for all taxa, most re-introductions cannot be categorized as successes (Griffith, Scott, Carpenter and Reed 1989; Beck, Rapaport, Stanley Price and Wilson 1994). This confers extra responsibility for the careful planning and conduct of ape re-introduction projects, which are apt to be particularly difficult.

These guidelines assume that the apes in question are being held legally in their country of origin. Great apes being held illegally outside of their country of origin should be repatriated to their country of origin if the authorities wish to have them returned and there is a suitable facility available to receive them. Once repatriated, they can be considered for re-introduction using the procedures described below.

 

Because there are considerable differences between ape taxa and individuals, even a set of guidelines for great apes might be too broad. Where the guidelines include quantitative data such as age landmarks and home range sizes, programme managers and other stakeholders are expected to customize the quantitative values for the ape taxon and individuals with which they are working.