Department of Anthropology, New University of Lisbon, Portugal.
Am J Primatol. 2010 Sep;72(10):887-96. doi: 10.1002/ajp.20784.
Attacks on humans by nonhuman primates are one of the most serious causes of human-primate conflict, and strongly influence people's perceptions and tolerance of nonhuman primates. Despite their importance, systematic and extensive records of such attacks are rare. Here, we report the attacks that occurred on local persons by chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) at Bossou, Republic of Guinea, from 1995 to 2009. There have been a total of 11 attacks during this period, the majority of which were directed toward children. They varied in their severity, but all were nonfatal. Attacks took place on a road and narrow paths that bordered the forest or in cultivated fields and orchards where opportunities for human-chimpanzee contact are high. Attacks occurred between the months of March and October, coinciding with wild fruit scarcity, increased levels of crop-raiding, and periods of human cultivation with likely increased human usage of paths. Although the families of attack victims felt angry and fearful toward chimpanzees after attacks, some drew on their traditional beliefs to explain why chimpanzees were respected, protected, and could not hurt them, even when attacks occurred. We provide suggestions for reducing future nonhuman primate attacks on humans in an effort to mitigate human-primate conflict situations.
非人类灵长类动物对人类的攻击是非人猿类冲突的最严重原因之一，强烈影响着人们对非人类灵长类动物的看法和容忍度。尽管它们很重要，但系统和广泛的此类攻击记录却很少见。在这里，我们报告了在 1995 年至 2009 年期间在几内亚共和国博苏发生的黑猩猩（Pan troglodytes verus）对当地人类的攻击事件。在这段时间内，共有 11 起攻击事件，其中大多数针对儿童。它们的严重程度不同，但都没有致命。攻击发生在靠近森林的道路和狭窄小路上，或者在种植庄稼和果园的地方，这些地方人与黑猩猩接触的机会很高。攻击发生在 3 月至 10 月之间，恰逢野果短缺、作物掠夺增加以及人类耕作时期，此时可能会增加对道路的使用。尽管受害者家属在袭击后对黑猩猩感到愤怒和恐惧，但他们中的一些人利用传统信仰来解释为什么黑猩猩受到尊重、保护，即使发生袭击，也不能伤害他们。我们提出了减少未来非人类灵长类动物对人类攻击的建议，以缓解人类与灵长类动物的冲突。
