Scientists Found “Gorilla Paradise” in the Republic of the Congo

Where have all the lowland gorillas gone? The Republic of the Congo, apparently. A recent census by researchers found 125,000 western lowland gorillas in the dense forests and swamps in the northern part of the Republic of the Congo:

The findings, if confirmed, would more than double the world’s estimated population of gorillas.

Western lowland gorillas are a subspecies classified as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Their numbers have been devastated in recent years by illegal hunting for bush meat and the spread of the Ebola virus. Just last year scientists projected the animals’ population could fall as low as 50,000 by 2011.

Now those predictions may have to be dramatically reworked to incorporate findings released today by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).

Link – Thanks Stephanie!