Chimpanzee award
Find out how to become a Champion in Conservation for chimpanzees.
Chimpanzees are highly intelligent and social apes, and considered our closest living relatives.
But chimpanzees are being pushed closer to extinction due to habitat loss and being hunted for meat. Chimp habitats have declined dramatically as humans are changing these areas through farming, logging and mining. These changes can separate the chimp population and makes it difficult for them to find each other, meaning their population will continue to decrease.
The growing demand for technology means more and more areas of land are being destroyed to mine for precious metals. There’s a tendency to upgrade our phones whenever the next model is released or as soon as we are due an upgrade, which increases the demand for these metals. We can help by trying to be more sustainable by keeping our phones, laptops and tablets for longer before deciding to buy new ones.
WHAT TO DO TO COMPLETE YOUR AWARD?
Awards are earned for completing one connect, one action, and one voice challenge on your chosen topic. If you have done all three then you can apply for your award.
Get inspired by some of our resources and ideas to achieve an award and find the way YOU want to connect, take action and be a voice for change and let us know how you’ve completed these through your application.
1. You can complete this challenge on your own, with friends or as part of a community group.
2. Collect evidence with photos, films or other ways to document your experience and write an account in your award application.
CONNECT BY:
LEARNING MORE
Learning fun and interesting facts about animals helps us to feel more connected to them. Using our page on Chimpanzees learn about their diet, habitat and the threats to their survival.
VISITING YOUR LOCAL ZOO
There’s no better way to feel connected to animals than seeing them in person and with over 30,000 animals and 128 acres of zoological gardens to explore, Chester Zoo is the perfect location! During your next visit, come and meet our chimpanzees, take photos and make memories that will last a lifetime. While you’re there, why not learn all about chimpanzees and how the mining for metals is threatening their survival.
TAKE ACTION BY:
MAKING YOUR TECH LAST LONGER
By protecting our technology (phones, tablets, laptops etc) from wear and tear, demand for replacement technology will be reduced. This means that less precious land will be destroyed to harvest the metals needed to make this technology.
For example, putting a sturdy case and screen protector on your phones or tablets can help protect them from accidental damage and reduce the need for replacements or repairs.
REPAIRING OR RECYCLING
If we all make an effort to send our broken technology (phones, tablets, laptops etc) to be repaired, demand for new technology will be reduced and therefore less land will be destroyed to extract raw materials. If the technology cannot be repaired, another option is to recycle it rather than simply throw it away. This reduces environmental pollution by decreasing the amount of chemical toxins being released into the air and water.
BE A VOICE FOR CHANGE BY:
Part of conservation is using your voice to create social change around you.
There’s no one way to do this, you could you could create a poster or artwork, you could create a film or give a talk to friends and family, you could even write to your local MP to make them more aware of a conservation issue you’re passionate about.
Whatever you choose, get creative and do something that suits your way of using your voice for change!
Need some inspiration?
We’ve got some useful resources to help you get on your way to help:
