The first-ever Africa-wide assessment of great apes – gorillas, bonobos and chimpanzees – finds that human factors, including roads, population density and GDP, determine abundance more than ecological factors such as forest cover.

The Gorilla Coffee Alliance was launched today by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID); Nespresso; Olam Food Ingredients (OFI); international nonprofits, TechnoServe and the Wildlife Conservation Society; and Congolese social enterprise, Asili.

A new study led by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) has updated the global population estimate for the Critically Endangered Grauer’s gorillas (Gorilla beringei graueri) – the world’s largest gorilla subspecies– to 6,800 individuals from a previous global estimate of 3,800 individuals.

A new study published in the journal Diversity and Distributions predicts massive range declines of Africa’s great apes – gorillas, chimpanzees and bonobos – due to the impacts of climate change, land-use changes and human population growth.

WCS has released the first-known camera-trap images of a group of Cross River gorillas with a number of infants of different ages. The images were captured in the Mbe Mountains in Nigeria. Cross River gorillas (Gorilla gorilla diehli) are the most endangered gorilla subspecies, numbering only around 300 individuals and found only in an isolated region along the Nigeria/Cameroon border. Cross River gorillas are rarely seen, let alone photographed, even by remote cameras. Previously, camera traps ...

The EU announced a four-year, two million euro initiative to protect the Cross River Gorilla – the world’s most endangered great ape – and secure the Cross River National Park, while promoting sustainable livelihoods for communities that live adjacent to the gorilla’s forest home.

The following statement was released by Simon Nampindo, WCS Uganda Country Director:

 

In anticipation of World Gorilla Day (Monday, September 24th), WCS is releasing a list of 10 facts on the world’s largest primates and one of humankind’s closest relatives. WCS scientists conduct research to inform conservation of the species and manage on-the-ground conservation projects across Africa to protect these great apes and their habitats. In New York City, WCS plays a vital role in giving millions of people the opportunity to see gorillas at its Bronx Zoo Congo Gorilla Forest, home to one of North America’s largest breeding groups of western lowland gorillas.

 

A baby mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx) was born at the Bronx Zoo and is on exhibit at Congo Gorilla Forest. The story of the mandrill infant will be featured in the third season of Animal Planet’s THE ZOO, which will premiere in 2019.  The series, which is the first to go behind the scenes at the world-famous zoo, focuses on the powerful and compelling stories of animals and their keepers, and the zoo’s contribution to conserving wildlife around the globe.

He’s a father of 20 from nine different mothers. He’s a fierce defender of his family and helped nurse two of his offspring back from leopard attacks. He likes to nap with his feet in the air, and he hums while he eats. Meet Kingo, a wild silverback gorilla who is celebrating his 40^th birthday.