As a clear morning dawned on May 18, 2021, a baby was born. She was a gorilla, born to the Mapuwa family, one of 10 gorilla families in Virunga National Park, in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. A month later, news broke that another gorilla, Mafuko from the Bageni family, was born on June […]
Tag: gorillas
African Parks secures $100M for conservation in Africa
African Parks, a South Africa-based conservation group that manages 19 protected areas covering 14.7 million hectares in several African countries, has secured a $100M commitment from the Rob and Melani Walton Foundation. The grant, which will be allocated over the next five years, will be split between a $75 million endowment, that will fund organizational […]
Should experimental coronavirus vaccine be tested on zoo animals?
According to the New York Times, in early July an experimental coronavirus vaccine for animals began making its rounds at the Oakland Zoo in California. During the course of the summer, about 100 zoo animals are going to receive the vaccine, including mountain lions, ferrets, bears, and tigers. The veterinary pharmaceutical company Zoetis is donating […]
Tiger with Collar Wandering in Houston Neighborhood Caught on Video
A tiger creeping around a Houston neighborhood was caught on video recently. A video sent to local station KHOU-11 shows a tiger with a collar in their owner’s front yard. Police responded to the incident. In the video, a man is seen waving a gun at the animal. “This is about a tiger. I’m on […]
Six gorilla rangers killed in ambush at DR Congo’s Virunga national park
Armed men have killed at least six rangers and wounded several others in an ambush in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo’s Virunga national park, a sanctuary for endangered mountain gorillas, the park said. The identity of the assailants was not immediately clear, said Olivier Mukisya, a Virunga spokesman. Previous attacks against the rangers have been […]
First COVID-19 cases in zoo gorillas raise alarm about wild populations
Two gorillas at San Diego Zoo in California have tested positive for COVID-19, in the first reported cases of great apes contracting the novel coronavirus. Three of the primates showed symptoms as of this week, and zoo authorities have not ruled out other troop members also being infected. Since the pandemic broke out last year, […]
Coronavirus is a Threat to Endangered Primates
Research found that endangered primates including the Sumatran orangutan and western lowland gorilla are vulnerable to coronavirus infection because of shared genetic similarities to humans. Like the tigers at the Bronx zoo that likely caught the coronavirus from zookeepers, scientists say the potential for humans to give the virus to endangered animals is likely. Study […]
For the world’s rarest gorillas, a troubled sanctuary
George Mgbang battles to rein in his anger whenever he encounters wire snares, newly cleared farms, empty cartridges, hunting camps, loggers, or shotgun-wielding hunters during his regular patrols in Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary (AMWS). For the past eight years, Mgbang, 42, has toiled to stop these threats from taking over the 100-square-kilometer (39-square-mile) sanctuary in […]