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Successful reproduction in wild-released orphan chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes troglodytes)
Benoît Goossens1, Joanna M Setchell, Carmen Vidal
1Biodiversity and Ecological Processes Group, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, PO Box 915, UK. goossensbr@cardiff.ac.uk
Abstract:
We report a case of successful reproduction in wild-released orphan chimpanzees. Using non-invasive genetic analysis, we determined the paternity of an infant born to a female chimpanzee released by HELP (Habitat Ecologique et Liberté des Primates) Congo into the Conkouati-Douli National Park, Republic of Congo. The sire was a released male, thus demonstrating successful reproduction in both male and female released chimpanzees. These results provide evidence that release into the wild may be a viable response to the plight of orphan chimpanzees in Africa, and we discuss further applications of non-invasive genetic tagging to release programs.