Chimp & See Talk

Lots of injured chimps at Green Snowflake?

  • puddock by puddock

    Not sure if anyone else has asked this question; I'm only just catching up with the Green Snowflake chimps, but several seem to have hand injuries - more than I've seen at the other sites we've looked at - and I wondered if anyone had any suggestions as to why? Traps was my first thought but I wondered if genetics could also be a cause...

    Posted

  • AnLand by AnLand moderator

    I do not think that genetics are a cause of several - and highly divergent - injuries on the limbs in these chimps. Trapping / snaring (not necessarily targeting chimpanzees) is likely to play a bigger role here.

    There is actually a paper about facial abnormalities in some chimps in this region from Sabrina Krief et al., but snares are - in my opinion - a better explanation for injuries on hands and feet. But - especially with Eliot and his damages on one finger at each hand - I have been thinking about other explanations, too. But without any genetic samples and more knowledge about the chimps, that all is hard to say.

    Posted