Trade in Orphans and Bushmeat Threatens One of The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Most Important Populations of Eastern Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) Thurston C. Hicks¹, Laura Darby 2 , John Hart 3 , Jeroen Swinkels¹, Nick January 4 & Steph Menken¹ ¹ Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, the University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands 2 Columbia University, New York, New York, USA 3 Scientiic Director, Tshuapa-Lomami-Lualaba Project (Projet TL2), Kinshasa, DR Congo 4 Canadian Ape Alliance, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Abstract: Following the invasion of the Bili–Uéré Domaine de Chasse by illegal gold miners in June 2007 and the subsequent abandonment of a long-term community conservation and research project there, the irst author conducted a survey of chimpanzees and other large mammals on the south side of the Uele River, in the forests around the cities of Buta, Aketi, and Bambesa. his survey conirmed the presence of a large population of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) in these forests, consistent with indings from surveys north of the Uele between 2004 and 2007. We also documented an expansion of the bushmeat trade to the south of the Uele River, linked to the artisanal diamond and gold mining industries and centered on Buta. Over an 18-month period from September 2007 to March 2009, we observed 42 chimpanzee orphans and 34 chimpanzee carcasses in markets, houses, and by the roadsides. his encounter rate of orphans and carcasses to the south of the Uele River was 20-30 times higher than that of the Bili area to the north. Interviews with local villagers and hunters indicate that there has been a major increase in bushmeat hunting, and the hunting of chimpanzees in particular, over the past 15 years. his wave of killing is currently expanding rapidly across the region. Given that the northern Democratic Republic of the Congo is home to one of the largest continuous populations of chimpanzees remaining in Africa, it is crucial that this region be accorded the highest conservation priority. We recommend four lines of intervention to respond to this major and urgent threat: 1) Bring an end to the slaughter, 2) Establish formal protection for key chimpanzee populations and their habitats, 3) Begin educational campaigns via ilms and radio, and 4) Ensure the care of existing orphans. Key words: Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii, orphans, bushmeat crisis, he Democratic Republic of the Congo, artisanal mining, Bili-Uéré Domaine de Chasse Résumé: Après l’invasion du domaine de chasse Bili-Uéré par les exploitants illegaux d’or en juin 2007, le premier auteur a mené un recensement de chimpanzés (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) et autre grands mammifères au sud de la Rivière Uele, où nous avons trouvé une grande population des chimpanzés, comme existe aussi au nord. D’après notre documentation, nous assistons à une recrudescence enorme de commerce de la viande de brousse, liée à l’expansion recente d’exploitation artisanale de l’or et diamants dans la region de Buta. Pendant une période de 18 mois, de septembre 2007 jusqu’ à mars 2009, nous avons denombré 42 orphelins chimpanzés et 34 cadavres des chimpanzés mise en vente comme bush meat. Le taux de rencontre des orphelins et carcasses est de 20-30 fois plus elevé que le taux de rencontre constanté à Bili, au nord de la Rivière Uele . D’après les informants locaux cette phénomène date des dernières 15 années. Etant donné que la région abrite une des plus grande populations de chimpanzés Afrique, il est urgent que l’on accordera une plus grande priorité à la conservation. Nous recommandons quatre lignes d’intervention comme réponse a cette menace: 1) Mettre in à ce massacre, 2) Établir la protection formelle pour les populations clés des chimpanzés et pour leurs habitats, 3) Commencer des campagnes d’éducation utilisant des ilms et la radio, et 4) Assurer le soin des orphelins existants. __________________________ Correspondence to: Thurston C. Hicks, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, The University of Amsterdam, Postbus 94248, Amsterdam 1090 GE, The Netherlands. Email: clevehicks@hotmail.com African Primates 7 (1): 1-18 (2010)