A new investigation by Mongabay has revealed that the illegal trade in gorilla and chimpanzee body parts in northeastern Nigeria is far more widespread than previously believed, posing a major threat to some of the world’s rarest great apes. Journalist Orji Sunday spoke directly with hunters, traffickers, and buyers to uncover just how far the […]
Tag: Gorilla
Famous bonobo Kanzi, known for smarts & gaming, dies at age 44
Kanzi, the world’s most celebrated bonobo who learned to communicate and play Minecraft with humans, died last week in Iowa, U.S., at the age of 44. Ape Initiative, a research organization in the city of Des Moines dedicated to the study and conservation of endangered bonobos (Pan paniscus) and where Kanzi lived since 2004, said […]
Five-month-old male gorilla, victim of illegal wildlife trade, seized in Istanbul
On Dec. 22, 2024, Turkish customs officers conducting a random search of a plane’s cargo hold found a surprise stowaway inside a small wooden crate with holes: a malnourished baby gorilla dressed in a soiled T-shirt. The Turkish Airlines flight was headed from Nigeria to Thailand and was transiting via Istanbul, authorities told local media. […]
Logging has a ‘lasting legacy’ on Gabonese forest soundscapes
Noncertified logging concessions in Gabon have much quieter soundscapes, a proxy for vocalizing wildlife, than either national parks or sustainably logged concessions, according to a recent study. However, forests that have never been logged are home to the highest diversity of vocalizing wildlife, researchers found. “Therefore, conserving these increasingly rare never logged forests, in combination […]
Is this America’s most dangerous zoo? Shocking video shows zookeeper being chased by a grizzly bear at same wildlife center where visitor was killed by escaped tiger
The San Francisco Zoo is in danger of being dubbed the most dangerous in America following a string of safety incidents – including a zookeeper being chased by a grizzly bear just last year. An investigation by the San Francisco Chronicle has exposed multiple serious incidents where employee safety and animal welfare has been compromised […]
Certified timber harvesting of tropical forests proves beneficial for gorillas and elephants
Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified timber harvesting areas in Gabon and Congo boast a greater abundance of larger mammals, such as leopards, gorillas, and elephants, than non-FSC forests. Utrecht University researcher Joeri Zwerts and colleagues conclude this based on 1.3 million camera trap images gathered in fourteen commercially exploited forests. The researchers’ analysis reveals the effectiveness […]
Gorillas Use Chest Beating to Prevent Conflict, Not Provoke it, a New Study Finds
A gorilla‘s chest beating is an incredible sight, and sound, to behold, but new research based on years of observation of mountain gorillas shows there’s much we never understood about this iconic acoustic. Since people first went to see King Kong, or since gamers first met Donkey Kong from the Mario Bros franchise, most might […]
Africa’s Great Apes Are Already Feeling the Effects of Climate Change, First-of-Its-Kind Study Finds
African great apes are some of the most iconic creatures on Earth. Humans’ closest living relative, these majestic primates are becoming increasingly impacted by climate change. In the next three decades, African apes will experience more extreme events such as heat waves, wildfires and flooding, according to a new study led by Razak Kiribou, a […]