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Pictures of Gabon: gorillas, rainforest and white sand beaches
mongabay.com
June 26, 2006


Mongabay.com, a leading rainforest and environmental web site, today announced the availability of new photos from the Central African country of Gabon. The pictures are available at travel.mongabay.com/gabon/

Site founder Rhett A. Butler visited Loango National Park in Gabon in late May and early June.

Some 900 photos have been added to the mongabay.com web site, including images of landscapes, wildlife, and conservation efforts. A 40-picture "highlights gallery is also online.

Gabon is among the most biodiverse countries in Africa. Home to gorillas, forest elephants, and "surfing" hippos, Gabon is attracting increasing numbers of ecotourists following the government's decision to set aside 10 percent of the country in protected areas.

The new mongabay.com galleries highlight some of the reasons for visiting the country.

"Gabon is a beautiful country," said Butler. "Beyond the relatively accessible Loango National Park, Gabon now has several remote parks that offer potentially excellent opportunities for viewing wildlife."

Silverback gorilla at Evengue, Gabon.

Gabon has an estimated 8,000-10,000 species of plants (20 percent of which are endemic), over 670 species of birds, and nearly 200 mammals including lowland gorillas, chimpanzees, 10 species of monkeys, forest elephants, and even hippos that swim in Atlantic Ocean surf. The Central African country was the ending point of biologist Michael Fay's 455-day megatransect across the Congo rainforest. Fay's trek was backed by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and National Geographic, among other organizations.

Pictures of Gabon

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