While growing up I was fascinated with chimpanzees and always wanted to learn more about them.  Once I realized that they were an endangered species, I knew that I wanted to raise awareness about this issue.  So when I started to write about science I tried to identify the major threats to their future existence in the 21^st century.  Not surprisingly, I found that humans caused all major threats: habitat loss, disease transmission, and hunting.  I believe that by identifying these key issues, Canadians can make a positive impact on the future welfare of this amazing species.  That is why I need to address a growing threat to chimpanzees in the wild that recently shocked me: great ape trafficking.

Great ape trafficking itself is not new. Conservationists have known about the trade for decades.  Disturbingly, I actually witnessed people trading animals illegally in Cameroon when I was conducting…