Nations call for action to save apes

KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sept. 10 (UPI) -- A U.N. meeting regarding the dwindling population of great apes has ended with an international call for action.

Leaders of 23 African and Asian countries are pleading for help in keeping the ape population from becoming extinct, the BBC reports.

A five-day meeting of the U.N. Great Ape Survival project held in the Democratic Republic of Congo has called for creating protections that range from and end to poaching to restoring natural wildlife.

The goal is to increase the ape populations by discouraging illegal trades, creating sustainable communities that don't rely on the same materials apes do and better ecological planning.