A recent census by the Wildlife Conservation Society indicates there are currently 125,000 western lowland gorillas in the northern part of the Congo. Estimates from the previous two decades placed the entire population of western lowland gorillas found in seven Central African nations at 50,000.“These figures show that northern Republic of Congo contains the mother lode of gorillas,” said Steven E. Sanderson, president of the Wildlife Conservation Society. “It also shows that conservation in the Republic of Congo is working. This discovery should be a rallying cry for the world that we can protect other vulnerable and endangered species, whether they be gorillas in Africa, tigers in India, or lemurs in Madagascar.”
Paula J. Dobriansky, the under secretary for democracy and global affairs at the U.S. Department of State, agrees: “For the first time in recent memory, we are hearing good news about an endangered species. What that tells us is that conservation strategies are vital, and they are working.” Dobriansky addressed a Wildlife Conservation Society event September 15.
The new results showed more than 125,000 western lowland gorillas living in two adjacent regions covering 47,000 square kilometers (18,000 square miles) in the northern part of the Congo. Population densities ranged as high as eight individuals per square kilometer in one particularly rich forest patch, which ranks as among the highest densities for gorilla populations ever recorded, according to a statement by the Wildlife Conservation Society.
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