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In spite of incursions by farmers and rebels into the parks, and a few recent poaching events, Virungas mountain gorillas are persisting as well, thanks to sustained conservation efforts by the guards and staff members within that landscape. The current total of mountain gorillas at both locations brings the worldwide tally to approximately 720 individual animals.

Having gone through decades of civil war in East Africa and Central, Mountain gorillas are confronted by the distressing consequences of increased habitat loss, poaching and the spread of dangerous diseases. Although gorillas are frequently depicted as hostile, dangerous, they are really shy and calm. Park managers who have the unenviable task of turning away tourists who they suspect may have colds the gorillas may me susceptible to - no matter how much they have paid to make their once in a lifetime visit.

Three groups of mountain gorillas are closely monitored in National des Volcans: - Beetsme’s, Pabro’s, and Shinda’s groups. Since then, however, lowland gorillas in the wild have been dying at an accelerating rate. Poaching, logging, a dramatic expansion in the trade of bushmeat, and outbreaks of Ebola have reduced their numbers.

The mountain gorillas in Rwanda and Uganda are relatively safe, but those in the Congo are threatened by an ongoing civil war and human encroachment. Primates such as gorillas, colobuses and chimpanzees are prone to over-hunting because they are large and slow-moving, and they are openly sold in African markets. The mandrill, a baboon, is particularly prized and its meat is far more expensive than that of antelopes or rats.

WCS has supported Cross River gorilla conservation related research throughout the gorillas’ range since 1996. The CRGP trains researchers to track gorilla groups on a daily basis and collect data on their ranging and feeding behavior. If the illegal killing does not cease then bonobos, mountain gorillas and chimpanzees may become totally extinct in the wild within the next two decades. If the authorities wish to save the beautiful mountain gorilla, they must not be afraid to punish severely those that defy the law and kill an endangered species, especially if those killed are slaughtered to serve the extortion purpose of charcoal traders.

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