Jungle Fever

Posted Sunday, February 10, 2008, 2:08 PM by Lonely Planet

Everyone knows Alanis Morissette was talking out her hat when she claimed irony was like rain on your wedding day, but irony does go a little something like this...

According to researchers in Berlin, fatal viruses have started jumping from humans to apes, so now eco-tourists are killing the very great apes they pay thousands of dollars to see.

Tourism is one of the best ways to protect endangered species and habitats: it's a popular belief, and as a fan of travel you probably subscribe to it yourself. The money brought in by tourism is incentive enough to stop logging and poaching, and a tourism industry provides employment for locals who might otherwise rely on hunting.

In Uganda and other east African countries, there's no denying the vital role ecotourism has had in protecting chimpanzees and gorillas. But now scientists are messing with that belief. They're saying that human viruses, similar to the flu, have already killed chimpanzees at a research facility in Cote d'Ivoire, and could really threaten not only African apes, but orang-utans in Borneo. The worst bit is that you could have these viruses and not even know it, so just because you're sniffle-free doesn't mean you're all clear to get cosy with a gorilla.

So does this mean you should cancel your trip to Bohorok and donate your cash to the Sumatran Orangutan Society instead? Well maybe. Or you could just take a few simple steps to stop any viruses you have from spreading. Scientists are suggesting that if you're heading out to see orang-utans, gorillas or chimpanzees, you should disinfect yourself, your clothes and your shoes, and keep at least ten metres away from all apes. They reckon you should also wear a mask while you're in parks where great apes live; as they've never met you, this probably isn't a comment on how you look.

- Jane Rawson

Labels: Africa, Asia and Pacific, Sustainable and responsible tourism

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