Twycross Zoo’s frank call on why bonobos are endangered
“It’s only 1 more mobile phone said 7 billion people”
Twycross Zoo pleas for parents to think of all options before buying a mobile phone for their child due to the devastating impact on the habitat of wild bonobos, one of the four great apes.
In today’s widespread news, the Childwise report has revealed some shocking stats about how mobile phones are dominating childrens’ lives, with over half of children who took the annual survey owning a mobile phone by the age of seven and being so reliant that 57% of those children sleep with their phone beside their bed.
What is more shocking is that mobile phones are one of the main causes of the deforestation of the rainforests in the Democratic Republic of Congo and it’s the only place in the world where wild bonobos live – this has resulted in the species becoming endangered with less than 20,000 individuals in the wild today.
Coltan is a mineral used to make electronics smaller and portable and is key in making mobile phones. 85% of the world’s supply is found and mined in the DRC
Twycross Zoo’s CEO, Dr Sharon Redrobe OBE said: “In my lifetime 90% of the congo rainforest has been destroyed meaning 90% of wild bonobos have been wiped out due to mining for coltan. We have entered the 6th extinction crisis and I am calling for parents as well as the rest of the human population to act now and protect the bonobos, our closest living cousins.”
“The Childwise report only confirms that mobile phones are getting more popular especially with the next generation who need to be informed on the devastating impact of just one mineral in one area of the world is making. We live on a finite planet with finite resources and it is not good enough that the bonobo species will go extinct in my lifetime.”
Twycross Zoo is the only place in the UK home to the four great apes and set up a mobile recycling scheme in 2017 to promote the importance of Bonobo conservation. *Instead of buying new a mobile phone, choose recycled devices or repair broken ones. For more information about mobile phone recycling click here: https://twycrosszoo.org/conservation/mobile-phone-recycling-for-forests-in-africa/
Discover more from CEO of Twycross Zoo, Dr Sharon Redrobe OBE shared recent TEDxLeicesterWomen talk – Being more bonobo – Why I run a zoo.
