The discovery of the elusive okapi, once believed to be a mythical unicorn, was one of the most exciting taxonomic findings of the twentieth century. This mysterious mammal lives deep inside the tropical forests of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and has been known to the western world only since early 1900s. Some […]
Tag: Gorilla
Congo Miners Poach At-Risk Animals Because They Have Nothing Else to Eat
A new study finds that small-scale mineral mining in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is a critical factor in illegal poaching of great apes and other wildlife. It’s happening for the saddest, most basic of reasons, too: Those miners are hungry. In fact, the miners have no other source of meat/protein. Sure, […]
Sanctuary…
A young Mountain Gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei) finds comfort and safety in her mother’s loving embrace. Parc National des Volcans, Rwanda. with Journeys Unforgettable Photographic Safaris
POLL: Should wild animals be kept in zoos?
London zoo has denied rumours that the gorilla that escaped from its enclosure on Thursday evening did so by smashing a window. Malcolm Fitzpatrick, senior curator of mammals for the zoo, said “categorically … that our male silverback gorilla Kumbuka did not break through any glass”. But he repeatedly rebuffed questions over how the animal […]
Reserve with rare gorillas finally protected
The calamitous civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has killed more than five million people. It has also nearly wiped out populations of the world’s largest primate — the Grauer’s gorilla. From an estimated 17,000 individuals in 1995, Grauer’s numbers have fallen to less than 4,000 today, thanks to prolonged civil unrest, […]
12 Extraordinary Pictures Show Animals Headed for Extinction
On Endangered Species Day, there are thousands of species that may not be around for long. The term “endangered species” usually brings to mind charismatic animals—fluffy pandas and majestic tigers. But there are thousands of lesser-known species that are in greater danger of disappearing. These animals, categorized as “critically endangered” by the International Union for […]
Expedition in the Congo rediscovers lost primate
The last time there was a sighting of Bouvier’s red colobus disco was all the rage, the Internet was non-existent, and Madonna still referred solely to the mother of God. But then the African monkey vanished and conservationists feared it had gone extinct—a victim of the bushmeat trade. For years, research groups called for an […]