Wildlife
Western Lowland Gorilla

Critically endangered, the Western Lowland Gorilla is a seed disperser essential to its ecosystem, threatened by habitat loss and poaching. The habituation of wild groups to human presence since the 1990s has enabled a better understanding of these giant gentles, to raise awareness of the importance of their conservation.

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Photo Credit: .
CR

CONSERVATION STATUS: CRITICALLY ENDANGERED

Congo harbors about 62% of the world’s remaining wild gorillas 

The world’s highest density of gorilla was registered in 2006 in northern Congo 

An estimated 80% of all gorillas live outside of Protected Areas

Gorilla gorilla gorilla 

Local languages names: Ebobo (Lingala), Epopela (Bomitaba)

  • Gorillas are the largest of the great apes, and are divided into two species: the Eastern Gorilla and the Western Gorilla. Each species has a lowland and a mountain subspecies. Three of the four subspecies are critically endangered.
  • Male Western Lowland Gorillas measure up to 1.7 m and weigh up to 182 kg, while females measure up to 1.4 m and weigh up to 102 kg. They can be distinguished from eastern gorillas by the short, reddish hairs on the top of their heads.
  • They eat a wide variety of plants and fruits, foraging in the swamps, up in the canopy, and scratching the ground for termites or small fungi.
  • Social organization takes the form of single-male harems, with transfer of females and emigration of males at maturity. Females often change groups before breeding, usually when they reach adolescence, around the age of eight, and can change several times during their lives.
CHALLENGES

 

Gorilla populations are declining worldwide. In the Congo, gorillas face multiple threats:

  • Poaching and illegal hunting
  • Habitat loss, particularly from logging activities
  • Epidemics, notably Ebola
  • Low resilience to demographic shocks:
    1. High infant mortality (50%)
    2. Late reproductive age
OUR APPROACH

 

  • Monitoring and studying gorillas: regular extensive
    inventories and continuous study sites allow to gather
    precise data to best inform policy.
  • Reducing habitat loss: we work with national government and forestry companies to improve land-use-planning.
  • Combating illegal hunting: we support wildlife law enforcement and implement education programs to combat and deter poaching.
  • Zoonosis surveillance: we have set up a surveillance network and improved diagnostic capabilities to detect epidemics.

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