In what could be a discovery of unintended consequences, biologists sponsored by the Max Planck Institute of Evolutionary Anthropology trekked hundreds of miles through mostly pristine Bili-Uele rainforest to find a large culture of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) thriving. Protected by uncharted wilderness on the border between the Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic, the chimpanzees were not studied until the previous decade. It may be the last large continuous population of chimps in Africa, referred to by one of the researchers as a "mega-culture". Perhaps thousands of these apes share a common set of customs and behaviors across an area of 50,000 square kilometers. Camera traps show the unusually large chimpanzees feasting on leopard, building ground nests, and enjoying a delicacy, giant African snails. This video shows a mother with her baby gather insects using a tool, a prepared twig. Infant chimps learn their culture by watching adults carefully:
The cameras also recorded a wealth of other wildlife including forest elephants, red river and giant forest hogs. Human threats to this actual Eden were never very remote. Some cameras were lost when a gang of poachers entered the area and burned the researchers' camp. Elephant skulls marked the active presence of ivory poachers. The bushmeat trade is taking an incredible toll on primates. 440 chimps a year are being killed in the southern part of the forest each year according to Cleve Hicks, a primatologist who headed the team. He told interviewers that the pristine region needs a minimum of twenty rangers to control humans hunting. Prime Minister David Cameron and Prince Charles will host a summit this month of 50 heads of state in an effort to gain political commitments and money to combat the mass destruction of wildlife at the hands of organized criminals and insurgents. Stoping the slaughter will take sustained, concerted effort because the illegal trade in wildlife parts is worth an estimated $19 billion a year. Elephant ivory and rhino horn are now worth more than diamonds or gold.