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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
While chimpanzees and bonobos are understood to be the animals that are most closely related to human beings, gorillas are not far off. From one look at a gorilla, it’s not hard to imagine. Gorillas are highly intelligent; they often use tools to perform various tasks and have a well-developed communication system. They also exhibit […]
One of Uganda’s best known mountain gorillas, Rafiki, has been killed. Four men have been arrested, and they face a life sentence or a fine of $5.4m (£4.3m) if found guilty of killing an endangered species. Investigations showed that Rafiki was killed by a sharp object that penetrated his internal organs. There are just over […]
The coronavirus has rocked the foundations of societies across the globe. Since the virus originated in wildlife, there has been public outcry demanding the closure wildlife meat markets. Neglected thus far, however, is consideration of the highly destructive and ongoing mass trade of wildlife by bushmeat hunters in rural Asian, African, and South American communities—an […]
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) holds 60 percent of the Congo rainforest, the second-largest rainforest in the world after the Amazon. Because of this, the country serves as an essential carbon sink, storing an estimated 22.9 gigatons of carbon. It is also one of the world’s most important biodiversity hotspots, hosting a dizzying […]