Mission
Why Should You Care About Primates?
Primates are our closest animal relatives: Discoveries in science have allowed humans to see how closely we relate to apes (which include gorillas, orangutans, chimpanzees, bonobos, and gibbons), further advancing the animal welfare movement. Scientists have revealed that gorillas and humans genetically share 97.7% of their DNA, bonobos and humans are 98.4% genetically similar, orangutans and humans are 97% similar (although recent studies claim that we may be more closely related), and chimpanzees and humans are about 99% genetically related.
Primates think and feel as we do: Researchers including Jane Goodall, explain that “[apes] enjoy a rich emotional and cultural existence in which they experience emotions such as fear, anxiety and happiness. They share the intellectual capacity to create and use tools, learn and teach other languages. They remember their past and plan for their future” (Cavalieri and Singer 1993). Through scientific discoveries, we see that primates are self-aware, sentient beings. In response, people have dramatically increased their efforts to protect primates.
