Measures Taken to Prevent Illegal Trading and Killing of Great
Apes Governments at the Convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species (CITES) agreed to develop a comprehensive
reporting mechanism on the illegal killing and trade of great
apes. According to the United Nations Great Apes Survival
Partnership (GRASP) Stolen Apes report, launched at the CITES
meeting, 22,218 great apes were taken from the wild between 2005
and 2011 to be traded illegally on international markets,
primarily for the pet trade. WWF believes that the real number
of apes killed and traded is double or even triple this figure,
due to the larger, more influential and significant bushmeat
trade. Especially in Central Africa, ape meat is still a sought
after commodity for mid-high level socio-political functions.
Measures needed to ensure the conservation of African great apes
include implementation of existing legislation, strengthened
enforcement controls including anti-poaching measures, market
survey and control, and anti-smu