Chimps Could Be Extinct
in the Next Few Decades

BY VALERIE ORLEANS
From Dateline (October 14, 2004)

Norm Rosen, research associate and lecturer in anthropology, has raised concerns that chimps – human’s closest relatives – could be extinct in 17 to 50 years. His research has been widely publicized in media throughout the world.

He’s traveled to 21 counties, most recently West Africa, studying the great apes and specifically, chimpanzees. What Norm Rosen, an anthropology research associate and part-time faculty member, has discovered is that chimps – human’s closest relatives – are in danger. In fact, there is concern that chimps could be extinct within the next 50 years.

“The situation is much more critical than we thought,” said Rosen, coordinator of a study researching chimps in West Africa.