Planet Without Apes

by Craig Stanford

Planet Without Apes demands that we consider whether we can live with the consequences of wiping our closest relatives off the face of the Earth. Leading primatologist Craig Stanford warns that extinction of the great apes—chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas, and orangutans—threatens to become a reality within just a few human generations. We are on the verge of losing the last links to our evolutionary past, and to all the biological knowledge about ourselves that would die along with them. The crisis we face is tantamount to standing aside while our last extended family members vanish from the planet.Stanford sees great apes as not only intelligent but also possessed of a both toolmakers and social beings capable of passing cultural knowledge down through generations. Compelled by his field research to take up the cause of conservation, he is unequivocal about where responsibility for extinction of these species lies. Our extermination campaign against the great apes has been as brutal as the genocide we have long practiced on one another. Stanford shows how complicity is shared by people far removed from apes’ shrinking habitats. We learn about extinction’s complex links with cell phones, European meat eaters, and ecotourism, along with the effects of Ebola virus, poverty, and political instability.Even the most environmentally concerned observers are unaware of many specific threats faced by great apes. Stanford fills us in, and then tells us how we can redirect the course of an otherwise bleak future.

Genres: Animals, Science, Nonfiction, Nature, Anthropology

273 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 5, 2012

About the author

A.k.a. Craig B. Stanford: www.goodreads.com/author/show/2248957...

Reviews

[Hanner · Rating 3 out of 5]

i was forced to read this book for craig’s class, “the human animal,” he teaches at my university. i will give this book 3 stars (begrudgingly) because it was decent, but in my heart of hearts i YEARN to give this man a negative three thousand stars because of the absolute hell he has put our entire class through this semester. if you are a usc student stumbling across this review, please do NOT take hbio200 if craig is teaching it. he is a fantastic lecturer and the subject matter is interesting, but the EXAMS… they are not worth it (case in point: me being forced to read this book on my thanksgiving break to prepare for our final). if you want to preserve your gpa but still want to learn about apes, take psych100 and do some googling. or maybe you should just read this book. it’s really just a very long, roundabout review of the class anyway.

happy reading!:)

[Francesca · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was for class, I did learn a about apes and the problems and threats that they face.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

If we can't save primates, what should we think of ourselves? If we can't even awaken to the notion that our overwhelming pressure on the environment is driving our closest relatives to extinction, perhaps conservation has failed. Stanford addresses multiple issues, ranging from land use change in the habitats, diseases, bushmeat and zoo ethics. A book that raises the question: how have we become so destructive and what path are we set on?

[Kelly Kress · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a great book! Perfectly outlined all of the threats facing great apes across the globe and my favorite part was that it gave wonderfully historical and cultural context throughout! Recommend to anyone interested in conservation of these regions!

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Brentley Campbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this for a bio anthropology class and thought it had a great prospective on the challenges apes face and what potential conservation methods may bear the most fruit. Chances are our closest relatives will be extinct in the wild in the next few decades.

[Sheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Living with a biologist, I can relate well to Stanford's ideas. Unfortunately, greed and economics often seem to win out over science. This leaves the future looking bleak for apes.

[Shelly-shawn Womack-gritton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing writing, thought provoking , gut wrenching , and very difficult issues....... Primatology mixed with wildlife conservation and human needs .......