Belief and Hope Ltd Edition Rolled Canvas

Wild chimpanzees face a very high risk of extinction in the near future due to threats such as hunting, habitat loss and degradation due to industrial logging and agricultural expansion, and disease.

Chimpanzees are hunted for bushmeat. When adult females are killed, their infants may be taken and trafficked for the exotic pet trade, effectively removing two generations at once.  This sickening act is a focus for many conservation groups and with your help, we can try and restore the wild populations of our closest relatives in the animal kingdom.

Chimpanzees share about 99% of our DNA, making them the closest living relative of humans. Some even argue that they should be taxonomically categorised as Homo, the same genus as humans. 

Chimpanzees are highly intelligent, with complex social structures and distinct cultures. They are also known to make and use tools, including stick tools for the extraction of ants, termites, honey and bees; stone and wood tools to crack nuts; fishing rods created from long branches to fish for algae; and sponges made from leaves. Sick chimps have also been known to eat potentially medicinal plants. 

This portrayal of a chimpanzee has been one of my most popular paintings to date