Working and impacting local communities as establishing the start of a conservation initiative: American Society of Primatology conservation committee webinar

Nonhuman primate species currently face human-induced pressures and will continue to face them in the modern landscape. These pressures require conservation projects in primate habitat countries to aid in protection, preservation, and conservation. Though there are several examples of primate conservation projects, starting up an initiative can be a daunting task. The American Society of Primatology (ASP) Conservation Committee hosted a video webinar presenting on the first steps of developing, running and continuing a primate conservation program. Dr. Christopher Shaffer, Rahayu Oktaviani, and Dr. Jill Pruetz presented their early program experiences establishing wild primate conservation projects to educate primatologists around the world. The running themes of the presentations included establishing community, working locally, impacting locally and preparing for the future.

Water conservation: Human water balance exceeds that of other apes

Water conservation played a role in the evolutionary adaptation of humans to hot, dry environments, but until now the extent of such biological adaptability was unknown. A new study compares great apes and humans to illuminate the complexities of water balance in humans and the factors that influence it.

Chimpanzee accumulative stone throwing

The study of the archaeological remains of fossil hominins must rely on reconstructions to elucidate the behaviour that may have resulted in particular stone tools and their accumulation. Comparatively, stone tool use among living primates has illuminated behaviours that are also amenable to archaeological examination, permitting direct observations of the behaviour leading to artefacts and their assemblages to be incorporated. Here, we describe newly discovered stone tool-use behaviour and stone accumulation sites in wild chimpanzees reminiscent of human cairns. In addition to data from 17 mid- to long-term chimpanzee research sites, we sampled a further 34 Pan troglodytes communities. We found four populations in West Africa where chimpanzees habitually bang and throw rocks against trees, or toss them into tree cavities, resulting in conspicuous stone accumulations at these sites. This represents the first record of repeated observations of individual chimpanzees exhibiting stone tool use for a purpose other than extractive foraging at what appear to be targeted trees. The ritualized behavioural display and collection of artefacts at particular locations observed in chimpanzee accumulative stone throwing may have implications for the inferences that can be drawn from archaeological stone assemblages and the origins of ritual sites.

Ethical issues in African great ape field studies

Great apes have been systematically studied in the wild for over half a century. Great apes are now critically endangered and this raises significant ethical issues for field primatologists who study and work to conserve these primates and their habitats. The most immediate ethical concerns involve the well-being of the subjects, but there are also important ethical considerations involved in researchers' interactions with local human populations and extracting industry representatives. This essay will discuss some of the ethical issues raised by African great ape research, with the hope of generating greater dialogue about best practices. After briefly presenting the history of great ape fieldwork, the ethical issues associated with habituation, intervention, and conservation will be discussed. This text will end with specific proposals that focus on the ethical concerns in great ape field studies.

Prenatal diagnosis of cor triatriatum sinister in association with hypoplastic left heart syndrome

Cor triatriatum sinister is a rare congenital heart defect related to incomplete common pulmonary vein resorption into the primitive heart. This lesion usually presents with pulmonary venous obstruction and can occur in association with left-sided obstructive lesions such as hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS). In the context of HLHS, the presence of cor triatriatum sinister carries additional surgical and prognostic implications. Fetal diagnosis can enable appropriate counseling of the family and guide optimal peri- and postnatal management. The reported case represents the first prenatal description of cor triatriatum sinister in association with HLHS.