Oosthuizen said that despite the CITES agreement, an increasing number of chimpanzees are being trafficked to China and other countries, where they often end up in laboratories as research experiments.

The combination of illegal trafficking, massive deforestation, and the bushmeat trade makes it difficult for rehabilitated chimpanzees to be released back into the wild. Conservationists would rather play it safe and protect the animals from all these additional dangers.

At Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary, for instance, the animals are there for life. Paul said this is a mixed blessing.

“We are happy to have the chimps within. They do provide us with a constant, I can say, a source of joy watching them, looking at the kind of ethological similarities between them and humans,” said Paul.

He said the animals at his facility play an important role as “ambassadors,” educating visitors on the many dangers facing them and the importance of chimpanzee conservation.