Scientists fear new Ebola outbreak may explain sudden gorilla disappearance
August 27, 2004 (Torino, Italy) Scientists fear that emerging evidence may suggest a new outbreak of the Ebola virus, which, in addition to threatening human lives, would threaten tens of thousands of great apes in this case gorillas and chimpanzees in the Republic of Congo. The announcement was made by the International Primatological Society (IPS) and Great Ape Survival Project (GRASP) at t...Census finds mountain gorillas increasing
A recent census of the Virunga Volcanoes mountain gorilla population has found that the great apes have increased their numbers by 17 percent, according to conservation authorities in Uganda, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and other groups. The results indicate a total of 380 gorillas, up from 324 individuals in 1989, the last time conditio...Satellites map volcanic home of Africas endangered gorillas
"It's very exciting to get a look at some of the products we're going to be able to take into the field in future," remarked Maryke Gray, regional monitoring officer of the International Gorilla Conservation Programme (IGCP). "The area covered is a volcanic massif that is often difficult to access; what maps of it are available are more than three decades old and often inaccurate, and we have no...Eastern lowland gorilla population plummets 70 percent since 1994
March 30, 2004 (Congo/Washington, DC) The world population of the Endangered eastern lowland gorilla (Gorilla beringei graueri), found almost exclusively in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), has plummeted by more than 70 percent in the past decade. Scientists estimate that fewer than 5,000 individuals remain, down sharply from 17,000 in 1994. ...... But a new multi-million dollar inves...For some gorillas, local kin may mean local peace
Scientists studying the elusive western gorilla observed that neighboring social groups have surprisingly peaceful interactions, in contrast to the aggressive male behavior well documented in mountain gorillas. By analyzing the DNA from fecal and hair samples of the western gorilla, scientists uncovered evidence that these neighboring social groups are often led by genetically related males. Thes...A CAPTIVE female gorilla has been spotted teaching her daughter how to tend to her newborn. Gorilla mothers are often seen teaching their young to walk and climb, but primatologists believe this is the first report of a mother instructing her daughter on baby care. The daughter, an 11-year-old western lowland gorilla called Ione, had neglected her first baby, which her keepers raised. So for sev...Plans finalised for satellites to help safeguard gorilla habitats
Humans have proved to be bad neighbours to the beleaguered mountain gorilla, of whom only a few hundred are thought to remain alive. The gorillas dwell in the high rainforests of Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, concentrated in a set of national parks across all three countries. But deforestation and illegal poaching render these habitats - and the gorillas' survival - under t...Countries find common ground to protect world's rarest gorilla
Durban, South Africa (Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2003) -- The Ministers of the environment from Nigeria and Cameroon have established an agreement to protect the Cross River gorilla, the world's rarest subspecies of gorilla that totals a mere 280 individuals throughout its entire range, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). The Cross River gorilla is only found in Cross River State, Nige...Rutgers anthropologist, Fossey Fund official, announces plan to save Rwanda's mountain gorillas
NEW BRUNSWICK/PISCATAWAY, N.J. Rutgers anthropology Professor H. Dieter Steklis, chief scientist and vice president of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International, has announced the fund's action plan to halt a recent poaching spree that has left six mountain gorillas dead, one infant in temporary captivity and several others missing in Rwanda....... Immediate preparations are being made to re-es...Want to save gorillas? Enforce laws, experts say
The most immediate threat to western gorillas is not habitat destruction as previously believed, but poaching and lack of law enforcement, said a group of experts from the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society and other organizations. The group, which recently met in Leipzig, Germany to discuss western gorilla issues, concluded that simple enforcement of existing laws to stop poaching is...Scientists work to prevent recent Ebola outbreak from decimating gorillas and chimps
The Bronx Zoo-based Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is working to prevent the recent Ebola virus outbreak from decimating wild populations of gorillas, chimpanzees and other wildlife in Gabon and neighboring Congo.... A team which includes scientists from WCS, World Health Organization (WHO), the Gabonese Center for Medical Research (CIRMF), and the European Community-funded conservation pro.... . A partnership involving conservation organizations and universities on two . different continents is bringing new technology to bear on efforts to protect . the endangered mountain gorillas popularized by the movie "Gorillas in the . Mist." The effort will put remote sensing technology into the hands of field . scientists and trackers working to protect the gorillas, while h...From lemurs to gorillas, new book explains primate anatomy
. .Note to editors: Friderun Ankel-Simons can be reached at 919-309-1601. . . DURHAM, N.C. -- Like mapping a sometimes trackless jungle, primatologist.Friderun Ankel-Simons, in her new book Primate Anatomy, has mounted an.exhaustive expedition into the complexities of the form and function of humans'.closest relatives. And like any good scientific expedition, she has returned.from her jou...Despite Odds, Little Known Grauer's Gorillas Persist In Central Africa
Not since George Schaller trekked through the remote jungles.of Belgian Congo nearly 40 years ago have scientists known.how many Grauer's gorillas lived in central Africa. Now, a.seven-year census recently completed by the Bronx-Zoo based.Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), and published in the.current issue of the journal Oryx, reveals that the population of.these mysterious primates has rema...As a soft breeze breaks through the springtime heat at Zoo Atlanta,.a young female gorilla's mind turns to troublemaking. She heads toward a.large silverback male resting in the shade of an immense oak tree.. At first, he simply glares at the youngster as she playfully lunges.at him and strikes aggressive poses she's learned from the others. But.when his stares and annoyed coughs go unheeded,...