Contrary to what is often assumed, the polycrises – from finance to war – did not push the environment off the public agenda over the last decade – quite the opposite. In 2010, Europeans saw the economy and health as the main challenges facing their countries; by 2020, health had become the number one (in the context of COVID), but the environment also moved up and overtook some other topics, even though one might expect it to drop off the agenda in times of crisis.

Kyoto, Japan -- As close relatives of humans, chimpanzees had sometimes been used in biomedical experiments. They were instrumental in the identification of the hepatitis C virus: the then mysterious pathogen was artificially injected into chimpanzees for study, leading to its eventual identification in 1989. Since then, treatments for humans have advanced and hepatitis C can now be nearly cured with medication. However, the same treatment has not been extended to the chimpanzees.

In 2022, a team of researchers from Kyoto University found that chimpanzees infected with hepatitis C had experienced negative health effects and shorter lifespans. This time, in a collaboration with Kumamoto University, the team was determined to eliminate this virus in chimpanzees residing at Kumamoto Sanctuary, a research facility of Kyoto University’s Wildlife Research Center. The sanctuary is home to several chimpanzees who were once used in medical experiments by multiple organizations in Japan, and is a place where they can spend the rest of their lives being cared for.

"Prioritizing chimpanzee health and welfare is the number one reason for conducting this study," says first author Satoshi Hirata. "We felt that it is our responsibility to do whatever we can to improve their condition."