https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/03/230316114007.htm

The western chimpanzee is listed as "Critically Endangered" on the Red List of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. The Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage site, located on the borders of Guinea, Liberia and Côte d'Ivoire in West Africa, harbors a unique population of this subspecies. However, this region is now under threat from mining activities immediately abutting its borders. Guinea is rich in minerals with some of the highest grade iron-ore deposits in the world. "It is therefore crucial to establish tools to monitor this endangered chimpanzee population and assess the potential impact of mining," says Kathelijne Koops, professor in the Department of Evolutionary Anthropology at the University of Zurich.

Fecal samples collected over 15 years