IUCN recently published an update of the West African Chimpanzee status on the Red List of Threatened Species. The West African Chimpanzee is now placed in the category Critically Endangered. Before (since 2008) the chimpanzee could be found in the Endangered category. Due to high levels of poaching, and loss of habitat and habitat fragmentation resulting from human activities, Pan troglodytes verus is estimated to have experienced a significant population reduction in the past 50 years, and it is suspected that this reduction will persist in coming years.
This is very alarming news. It confirms once again that our work in the Boé region of Guinea Bissau is of enormous importance. We are happy that thanks to our community based conservation programme poaching of chimpanzees for the pet trade has stopped in Boé . The farmer that shot a chimpanzee in 2010 has been severely punished by the authorities. Since then we have experienced no more killings of chimpanzees. Chimbo considers the status of the chimpanzees in the Boé region as healthy and stable although habitat loss is an increasingly serious threat.
For more information about the status: http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/15935/0