Eating Apes.

Peterson's outstanding book with its understated title tells about the danger of extinction of African apes, the crisis of conservation in West and Central Africa, and the path that led to the current state of affairs. The beautifully written story (of astonishing breadth) is riveting, and thoroughly researched and photographed on the very grounds where the systematic annihilation of apes is a dreadful part of the exploding bush meat trade. The precipitous growth of this trade is a direct consequence of the continuously expanding number of bulldozed logging roads, access to guns, and the protein-poor diet of the populations in the Congo. The extinction of the great apes (perhaps less than a few decades away, unless the international public wakes up) will result in immeasurable loss not only of intellectual knowledge of our own history but also of the many issues that grow out of this unfolding knowledge, all related to human welfare. A huge appendix and numerous maps round out this great achievement. No conservationist, medical researcher, anthropologist, or wildlife biologist (to list just a few specialties) can afford to overlook this book. ^BSumming Up: Essential. All levels. F. S. Szalay University of New Mexico

This articulate study maintains that the increasing human consumption of apes and other primates in Central and Western Africa poses a serious threat to biodiversity, public health and sustainable development, as well as raising a considerable moral question: is it right to eat animals who share between 96% and 99% of our DNA? It's worth noting that Peterson, who has written extensively on primates, is neither a simple conservationist nor an animal rights advocate. "People hunt and eat wild animals for protein all over the globe," he acknowledges. "So there is nothing special about the fact that people living in and near forests of West and Central Africa happen to eat wild animal meat." Peterson (Storyville, USA) is sincerely curious about all aspects of "ape-eating," interviewing hunters, butchers and consumers to learn about hunting, transporting and slaughtering techniques, as well as preparation and taste. Readers learn, for example, how to make a good gorilla plantain and that "[g]orilla meat is sweet, very sweet." This information is presented with compelling evidence indicating that some human blood viruses, including HIV-1, were likely caused by ape blood coming into human contact; that the tropical logging industry, feeding Asian and European demand, is directly responsible for the tremendous increase in demand for bushmeat and the destruction of primates' natural habitat; and that apes are drawing closer to extinction. Peterson is never shrill, and rarely does his tone become emotional; he does not overwhelm readers with evidence, yet his evidence is extensive. Ammann's chilling photographs (e.g., "Gorilla head in a kitchen") contribute vastly to this equally distressing and thought-provoking survey. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Peterson, editor of Jane Goodall's letters and other books on primates, such as Visions of Caliban: On Chimpanzees and People, here focuses on the recent surge in killing chimpanzees and gorillas for "bush meat." In many (but not all) parts of central Africa, people have traditionally killed primates for meat, but this practice has increased in recent years because of the opening of impenetrable forests by Western and Asian logging companies, as well as the expense of obtaining domestic meat. Peterson explores the problem from the perspective of hunters, the spread of Ebola and other diseases through contact with infected primate blood, cutting-edge research that continues to point to the intelligence and unique relationship between chimpanzees and humans, the impact of logging on local peoples and wildlife, and much more. Some of this material makes for grim, even macabre, reading, such as the section on how to dismember and cook a gorilla. Not for the squeamish, this is recommended for larger collections on conservation and primatology. (The color photos by award-wining photographer Ammann were not seen.)-Beth Clewis Crim, Prince William P.L., VA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.