[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 68 (Wednesday, May 12, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5151-S5152]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 THE GREAT APE CONSERVATION ACT OF 1999

  Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, yesterday I introduced a bill to assist 
in the preservation of the great apes. The bill, the ``Great Ape 
Conservation Act of 1999'', is modeled after the highly successful 
African and Asian Elephant Conservation Acts, and the Rhinoceros and 
Tiger Conservation Act. It will authorize up to $5 million per year to 
fund various projects to aid in the preservation of the endangered 
great apes.
  Great ape populations currently face many threats, including habitat 
loss, population fragmentation, live capture, and hunting for the 
bushmeat trade. Of all these threats, the danger posed by the 
increasing bushmeat trade is the most severe. This trade is being 
facilitated by the construction of inroads to logging areas, which 
allows once remote forests to be linked directly with urban markets.
  Chimpanzees, gorillas, and bonobos, once hunted sustainably, now face 
population destruction due to increased illegal trade, powerful 
weapons, and high market prices. This consumption of ape meat not only 
threatens ape populations, but poses severe health risks to humans. 
Human contraction of many viruses, including the Human Immunodeficiency 
Virus (HIV) has

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been linked to the slaughter and consumption of apes. With the loss of 
ape populations, comes the loss of critical medical knowledge that can 
be obtained through simple, noninvasive research on wild populations. 
Some estimates suggest that several thousand apes are killed every year 
across West and Central Africa, a level that is unsustainable and means 
the certain destruction of viable populations in the very near future.
  If we do not act now, not only will great apes face extinction, but 
the ecosystems that depend on their contributions will suffer. I urge 
my colleagues to join me in supporting legislation that can provide 
funding to the local farming, education and enforcement projects that 
can have the greatest positive impact. This small, but critical 
investment of U.S. taxpayer money, matched with private funds, could 
secure the future of these extraordinary animals.

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