Much of the illegal trade in wildlife now takes place online. Image by Tambako The Jaguar via Flickr ( CC BY-ND 2.0).Īccording to the United Nations’ Great Apes Survival Partnership (GRASP), roughly 3,000 great apes are trafficked live from Africa or Southeast Asia every year. But the trade exacts a cruel price on wild populations, with multiple apes dying for each juvenile that makes it to a buyer alive. Their wide-eyed and playful appearance puts baby chimpanzees in high demand on the illegal wildlife trafficking circuit. Via her project ChimpFace, Allie Russo, a conservationist with a background in data analysis, is striving to harness the power of AI in the fight against ape trafficking. In animals like chimpanzees, our closest living relatives, AI is proving effective in identifying and tracking individuals’ faces. In conservation, AI can be used to identify land-use change, or even individual animals based on unique markings on their bodies. One of the best-known, and most controversial uses of the technology is facial recognition, in which programs use biometric markers to identify people in digital images.
Networks of algorithms trained to spot patterns can mine data, identify objects, or even spot signs of sex trafficking and other crimes in images.
Social media, and AI, can also be valuable tools for conservationists and law enforcement. Traffickers can use platforms like Facebook or Instagram not only to post pictures of animals for sale, but also to expand their networks thanks to Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven algorithms that suggest friends and groups. The global spread of social media has created unparalleled opportunities for wildlife traffickers to advertise their illicit wares to potential buyers around the world. Its creators hope the matches the program turns up will aid Interpol or local law enforcement in tracking and prosecuting people illegally buying and selling wildlife.ChimpFace, a newly developed software, uses an algorithm to determine if chimpanzee faces in images posted by traffickers match up with images later posted to social media accounts.Much of the illegal trade in apes now takes place online, with traffickers posting pictures of baby animals for sale.Just as humans deserve safety, protection and love, chimpanzees do too. But as we discover more and more about our intelligent and playful cousins in the animal kingdom, it is worth reflecting on the astounding number of characteristics we share rather than the differences that separate us. There are of course many differences between the humans and chimpanzees -we stand on two legs, have larger brains and are relatively hairless. Chimpanzees not only communicate like humans, they also demonstrate a range of emotions including joy, sadness, fear and even empathy. In doing so, they make themselves look as big and dangerous as they possibly can and indeed may eventually intimidate a higher-ranking individual without having to fight.ġ. Male chimpanzees proclaim their dominance with spectacular charging displays during which they slap their hands, stamp with their feet, drag branches as they run, or hurl rocks.
When angry, chimpanzees may stand upright, swagger, wave their arms, throw branches or rocks-all with bristling hair and screaming or with lips bunched in ferocious scowls.Ģ. The grin of fear seen in frightened chimpanzees may be similar to the nervous smiles given by humans when tense or in stressful situations.ģ. For this reason, social grooming is one of the most important social behaviours, serving to sustain or improve friendships within the community and to calm nervous or tense individuals.Ĥ. 5. Friendly physical contact is crucial in maintaining good relationships among chimpanzees.
0 kommentar(er)
