The Purposes of Chimpanzee Research
As one of the animals most closely related with human beings, research
of wild chimpanzees teaches us "man's place in nature".
Human beings have been proud of themselves for being unique and regard all
other species as "animals" that they can exploit for their own benefit.
However,chimpanzees and other animals are also unique, having their own
right of survival. Chimpanzees teach us this important fact by showing
human-like behavior patterns such as hunting, tool-using, medicinal use of
plants, social intelligence, lethal raiding and many other activities.
Academically, chimpanzees research should provide us with key information
that is relevant to reconstructing the social life of early man. With
this in mind, we are studying the natural history of chimpanzees to know the
adaptive significance of their behavior.
Our study is very detailed and has elucidated that of chimpanzee
behavior which differ from population to population. They are cultural
animals. Our study has been continuing for three decades now and should be
continued for a few more, because long-term demographic data cannot be
obtained readily elsewhere.
As chimpanzees are a precious resource of Tanzania and the world over, we
hope that our knowledge of chimpanzees will contribute to the conservation of this species. Eco-tourism is another important activity that
helps both conservation and the national revenue.
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