I thought we were gonna rule the planet. Was Charlton Heston just fucking with me? (Photo by Kabir Bakie.)

The New Scientist has an interesting post about the superlative Australian author and explorer Paul Rafaele. The site reviews his new book, Among the Great Apes: On the Trail of Our Closest Relatives, which predicts the disappearance of the magnificent creatures in the next few decades, due to the compromised nature of their habitats. They also interview the globe-trotting writer about his new work. An excerpt from the Q&A:

“New Scientist: Some of the places you travelled to are notorious trouble spots, yet you still went. Why?

Paul Rafaele: Looking at captive apes doesn’t tell you much about them. In the wild, each subspecies of ape has its own culture and behaviour. It’s the great apes’ bad luck that their habitats are in some of the most violent, corrupt places on earth. But if you are going to report a war you have to go and see for yourself, and if you are going to report on great apes you have to do the same.

New Scientist: Can the great apes be saved?

Paul Rafaele: The only way to guarantee there will be some left in the wild in 50 years is to have pockets of heavily defended habitat with anti-poaching patrols at least as well armed as the poachers. The impetus and the funding must come from western governments and they must ensure that it goes where it is needed.”