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	<channel>
		<title>Conservation news</title>
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		<link>https://news.mongabay.com/list/gorillas/</link>
		<description>Environmental science and conservation news</description>
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	<title>News on Gorillas</title>
	<link>https://news.mongabay.com/list/gorillas/</link>
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				<item>
					<title>The women leading a quiet conservation revolution in a Nigerian gorilla sanctuary</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/the-women-leading-a-quiet-conservation-revolution-in-a-nigerian-gorilla-sanctuary/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/the-women-leading-a-quiet-conservation-revolution-in-a-nigerian-gorilla-sanctuary/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>06 Jul 2026 19:06:41 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Orji Sunday]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Isabel Esterman]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/07/06183609/IMG_5299_UlomWomen-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=322651</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, Nigeria, and West Africa]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Apes, Biodiversity, Community-based Conservation, Conservation, Crime, Culture, Ecosystems, Environment, Freshwater, Gender, Gorillas, Governance, Great Apes, Illegal Logging, Mammals, Primates, Rivers, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[BOKI, Nigeria — The morning light fills Ulom with warmth and radiance. A dome of mountains, their green vegetation spread out like giant green walls, is visible at the edge of this serene village in Nigeria’s southeast. In the king’s palace, a women&#8217;s group kicks off its monthly meeting with prayers and choruses. Today’s meeting [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[BOKI, Nigeria — The morning light fills Ulom with warmth and radiance. A dome of mountains, their green vegetation spread out like giant green walls, is visible at the edge of this serene village in Nigeria’s southeast. In the king’s palace, a women&#8217;s group kicks off its monthly meeting with prayers and choruses. Today’s meeting centers on river pollution, a significant issue being addressed as part of a broader initiative to save Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary (AMWS), a 100-square-kilometer (39-square-mile) wildlife hotspot situated near Ulom. Gazetted in 2000, the sanctuary is inhabited by the critically endangered Cross River gorilla (Gorilla gorilla diehli), endangered Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes ellioti) and drills (Mandrillus leucophaeus); porcupines; duikers; and dozens of bird, bat, and butterfly species. Afi is the shared heritage of 16 villages, including Ulom, broadly known as the sanctuary’s landlords. Together, these communities have set up initiatives and bylaws aimed at protecting the hotspot, often in collaboration with nonprofits and other stakeholders. The women&#8217;s collective meeting here today is one signal of a growing surge of women’s conservation leadership across the host communities. Asu Margaret, the group secretary, reads aloud from a notebook. &#8220;In our previous meeting we discussed how to prevent wildfires in the Afi Mountains,” she says. “We rejected the felling of trees. We maintain the ban on timber dealers.” Only about 300 Cross River gorillas are estimated to survive in the wild; roughly 100 of them live in a patchwork of interconnected protected areas that includes Afi, Mbe Mountains,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/the-women-leading-a-quiet-conservation-revolution-in-a-nigerian-gorilla-sanctuary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/the-women-leading-a-quiet-conservation-revolution-in-a-nigerian-gorilla-sanctuary/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-322651</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>As human Ebola cases climb in DRC, critically endangered gorillas are at risk</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/as-human-ebola-cases-climb-in-drc-critically-endangered-gorillas-are-at-risk/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/as-human-ebola-cases-climb-in-drc-critically-endangered-gorillas-are-at-risk/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>12 Jun 2026 13:30:15 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Kayleigh Long]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Sharon Guynup]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/06/10154839/1-Virunga_Mountain_Gorilla_1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=320921</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, Atlantic Forest, Central Africa, and Democratic Republic Of Congo]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Apes, Biodiversity, Conservation, Diseases, Endangered Species, Environment, Gorillas, Great Apes, Health, Mammals, Planetary Health, Primates, Wildlife, and Zoonotic Diseases]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[As human cases continue to climb in the latest outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, concern is growing for the gorilla population, which have been devastated by the virus during previous outbreaks. On May 15, the Congolese Health Ministry announced a new outbreak of the lethal virus, which [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[As human cases continue to climb in the latest outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, concern is growing for the gorilla population, which have been devastated by the virus during previous outbreaks. On May 15, the Congolese Health Ministry announced a new outbreak of the lethal virus, which has struck the country at least 17 times over the past half-century; the World Health Organization (WHO) declared it a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed 676 Ebola cases in the eastern DRC and 136 deaths as of June 10 — and continue to rise. In neighboring Uganda,  19 cases and two deaths have been reported, with no new cases in the last days. So far, the outbreak seems to be largely contained within the region. The Bundibugyo virus is the culprit, one of five Ebola viruses within the family Filoviridae that spark illness in people. It has no approved treatment or vaccine. As cases mount, virologists — as well as ecologists and primatologists — are warily monitoring its spread. First discovered in humans in 1976 along the Ebola River (where it got its name), Ebola is highly contagious, and this virus can also sicken and kill gorillas and other nonhuman primates. While some symptoms are flu-like — fever, vomiting and diarrhea — the disease can progress to a gruesome, often-fatal hemorrhagic fever, causing both internal and external bleeding. Previous outbreaks have exacted vast human death&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/as-human-ebola-cases-climb-in-drc-critically-endangered-gorillas-are-at-risk/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/as-human-ebola-cases-climb-in-drc-critically-endangered-gorillas-are-at-risk/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-320921</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Confinement and disinfected bedding: An ape sanctuary in DRC responds to Ebola</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/confinement-and-disinfected-bedding-an-ape-sanctuary-in-drc-responds-to-ebola/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/confinement-and-disinfected-bedding-an-ape-sanctuary-in-drc-responds-to-ebola/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>04 Jun 2026 09:47:52 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Aimable TwahirwaYannick Kenné]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Malavikavyawahare]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/06/03100422/81AB7CA9-AAE1-41A1-A40B-3096240DE38B-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=320525</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, Central Africa, and Democratic Republic Of Congo]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Chimpanzees, Ebola, Economics, Environment, Gorillas, Governance, Health, Planetary Health, Primates, Public Health, and Science]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Since May 23, more than 200 primates housed at the Lwiro Primates Rehabilitation Center (LPRC) in South Kivu province in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have been placed under confinement due to the Ebola outbreak. This measure follows the death of a man who tested positive for the virus on May 21. This [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Since May 23, more than 200 primates housed at the Lwiro Primates Rehabilitation Center (LPRC) in South Kivu province in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have been placed under confinement due to the Ebola outbreak. This measure follows the death of a man who tested positive for the virus on May 21. This individual, a resident of Kahungu, located just 2 km (1.2 miles) from the town of Lwiro, where the center is situated, had traveled in early May to neighboring Ituri province. Ituri is the epicenter of the outbreak, which, as of May 27, is linked to more than 200 suspected deaths. A threat for humans and apes The LPRC houses at least 129 chimpanzees and 108 monkeys of various species, including olive baboons (Papio anubis), yellow baboons (Papio cynocephalus), L&#8217;Hoest&#8217;s monkeys (Cercopithecus l&#8217;hoesti), blue monkeys (Cercopithecus mitis), agile mangabeys (Cercocebus agilis) and others. Parrots, turtles and porcupines can also be found there. These primates, rescued from poaching and the illegal wildlife trade, are being kept in confinement even though &#8220;for the moment, no cases of Ebola virus transmission from a human to a great ape have been reported,&#8221; primatologist Liz Williamson explained in an email to Mongabay. According to the World Health Organization, the Ebola virus is transmitted to humans through close contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected animals. A chimpanzee at the Lwiro Primates Rehabilitation Center, located in South Kivu province in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Image&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/confinement-and-disinfected-bedding-an-ape-sanctuary-in-drc-responds-to-ebola/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/confinement-and-disinfected-bedding-an-ape-sanctuary-in-drc-responds-to-ebola/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-320525</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Amid conflict and poaching, tech helps boost mountain gorilla numbers</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/amid-conflict-and-poaching-tech-helps-boost-mountain-gorilla-numbers/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/amid-conflict-and-poaching-tech-helps-boost-mountain-gorilla-numbers/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>23 Apr 2026 21:55:31 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Aimable Twahirwa]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Sharon Guynup]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/04/23165332/MOUNTAIN-GORILLA-RWANDA-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=318058</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa and Central Africa]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Apes, Biodiversity, Conflict, Conservation, Conservation Technology, Critically Endangered Species, Endangered Species, Environment, Gorillas, Great Apes, Habitat, Habitat Loss, Mammals, Poaching, Technology, Wildlife, and Wildtech]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The population of the world’s last mountain gorillas has rebounded by 73% since 1989, allowing the subspecies to be reclassified from critically endangered — one step away from extinction — to endangered. But they remain imperiled, with about 1,063 left. They live in just one place: the Greater Virunga Landscape that straddles Rwanda, Uganda and [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The population of the world’s last mountain gorillas has rebounded by 73% since 1989, allowing the subspecies to be reclassified from critically endangered — one step away from extinction — to endangered. But they remain imperiled, with about 1,063 left. They live in just one place: the Greater Virunga Landscape that straddles Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Conservation here has been extremely challenging, that&#8217;s been periodically embroiled in war, beset by armed groups, poachers and a plethora of other serious threats. Though these apes dwell at high altitude, from about 2,400-4,000 meters (8,000-13,000 feet) andoften deep within steep valleys and gorges, they’re still in the crosshairs. These apes are poached for their meat and body parts. Their infants are snatched for attractions that entertain tourists. Sometimes they&#8217;re trapped in snares set by bushmeat hunters for other wildlife. Meanwhile, their habitat falls to farmers and loggers. Rangers working in the region are increasing the use of cellphone-based software as part of broad efforts to protect mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei) and the lands they inhabit. This platform, known as the Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART), can be programmed to the specific needs of a species or landscape, incorporating the boundaries of protected areas, wildlife corridors, patrol routes and so much more. It builds maps, has navigation capabilities, incorporates photos, and organizes and analyzes data. This information sometimes is used as evidence for prosecution of poachers. This information also helps pinpoint where to deploy personnel, and how&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/amid-conflict-and-poaching-tech-helps-boost-mountain-gorilla-numbers/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/amid-conflict-and-poaching-tech-helps-boost-mountain-gorilla-numbers/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-318058</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Studying the world’s largest gathering of forest elephants with sound and field observation</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/studying-the-worlds-largest-gathering-of-forest-elephants-with-sound-and-field-observation/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/studying-the-worlds-largest-gathering-of-forest-elephants-with-sound-and-field-observation/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>19 Apr 2026 14:46:29 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[David AkanaRhett Ayers Butler]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Rhett Butler]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/04/19152433/ivonne-kienast-2026-16x9-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=316782</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, Central Africa, Central African Republic, Congo Basin, and Democratic Republic Of Congo]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Apes, Bioacoustics, Biodiversity, Conservation, Conservation Technology, Education, Elephants, Endangered Species, Environment, Forests, Gorillas, Great Apes, Indigenous Peoples, Interviews, Primates, Rainforests, Research, Traditional People, Tropical Forests, Wildlife, Wildtech, and Women In Science]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In the far southwest of the Central African Republic, where dense forest gives way to a broad clearing, elephants gather in numbers rarely seen elsewhere. The place is known as Dzanga Bai. Forest elephants are among the least visible large mammals in Africa. In closed-canopy rainforest, they move in small groups, often at night, communicating [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In the far southwest of the Central African Republic, where dense forest gives way to a broad clearing, elephants gather in numbers rarely seen elsewhere. The place is known as Dzanga Bai. Forest elephants are among the least visible large mammals in Africa. In closed-canopy rainforest, they move in small groups, often at night, communicating over long distances through low-frequency calls that travel beyond human hearing. Much of their social life unfolds out of sight. Dzanga Bai is one of the few places where that pattern breaks. Here, elephants emerge from the forest to feed on minerals in the soil. They linger. Families converge, separate, and return. Individuals can be recognized over years. Behaviors that are otherwise inferred—through tracks, fragments of sound, or brief encounters—can be followed more directly. Dzanga Bai in Dzanga-Sangha Special Reserve, Central African Republic. Photo by Rhett Ayers Butler For decades, the clearing has drawn researchers trying to understand a species that resists easy study. Long-term work here, including that of researchers such as Andrea Turkalo, has shaped much of what is known about forest elephants. Ivonne Kienast is part of that effort. She leads the Dzanga Forest Elephant Project, part of the Elephant Listening Project at Cornell University. Her work combines long-term behavioral observation with passive acoustic monitoring. The objective is to understand how forest elephants live and to detect early signs of change. In practice, this means continuous field presence, physically demanding work, and coordination across a network of relationships that extend well beyond&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/studying-the-worlds-largest-gathering-of-forest-elephants-with-sound-and-field-observation/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/studying-the-worlds-largest-gathering-of-forest-elephants-with-sound-and-field-observation/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-316782</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>George Schaller: The field biologist who helped redefine conservation</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/george-schaller-the-field-biologist-who-helped-redefine-conservation/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/george-schaller-the-field-biologist-who-helped-redefine-conservation/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>14 Apr 2026 12:08:19 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Rhett Ayers Butler]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Rhett Butler]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/04/13210433/Art31_52830005-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=317452</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, Asia, Brazil, China, Global, India, and Tanzania]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animal Behavior, Animals, Apes, Bears, Big Cats, Biodiversity, Books, Cats, Conservation, Conservation Philosophy, Endangered Species, Environmental Heroes, Gorillas, Great Apes, Jaguars, Lions, Mammals, Pandas, Primates, Protected Areas, Research, Snow Leopards, Tigers, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Some lives seem to belong less to a nation or a profession than to a disposition. George B. Schaller’s was one of them. He belonged, above all, to animals—gorillas, lions, tigers, snow leopards, pandas—and to the landscapes that still made room for them. In Homesick for a World Unknown: The Life of George B. Schaller, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Some lives seem to belong less to a nation or a profession than to a disposition. George B. Schaller’s was one of them. He belonged, above all, to animals—gorillas, lions, tigers, snow leopards, pandas—and to the landscapes that still made room for them. In Homesick for a World Unknown: The Life of George B. Schaller, Miriam Horn attempts something both straightforward and unusually difficult: to write a full biography of a man who spent most of his life turning his attention away from himself. Schaller is not obscure. He is widely regarded as the most important field biologist of the twentieth century, a figure whose work reshaped zoology, conservation biology, and the way humans think about animal lives. Yet he remains oddly resistant to biography. He disliked introspection, avoided publicity, and wrote sparingly about his own emotions even when describing moments of extreme danger or revelation. Horn’s achievement is to take this reticence seriously rather than try to overcome it. The result is a book that is expansive without being intrusive, admiring without being reverential, and alert to ambiguity even when recounting an extraordinary career. The arc of Schaller’s life has the shape of an adventure story, though Horn is careful not to write one. Born in Berlin in 1933 to an American mother and a German diplomat father, Schaller’s early years were marked by displacement, war, and a persistent sense of not quite belonging. His childhood moved across Nazi Germany, occupied Europe, and eventually the United States. These experiences&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/george-schaller-the-field-biologist-who-helped-redefine-conservation/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-317452</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Cameroon’s decade of conflict leaves apes and conservationists in peril</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/cameroons-decade-of-conflict-leaves-apes-and-conservationists-in-peril/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/cameroons-decade-of-conflict-leaves-apes-and-conservationists-in-peril/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>03 Mar 2026 21:19:11 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Orji Sunday]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Isabel Esterman]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/03/03202651/c.-%C2%A9WCS-Nigeria-Chimp-RCNX1088-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=315157</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, Cameroon, Central Africa, and Nigeria]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Apes, Biodiversity, Chimpanzees, Conflict, Conservation, Deforestation, Endangered Species, Environment, Forests, Gorillas, Human Rights, Mammals, Protected Areas, Rainforests, Tropical Forests, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In August 2025, Louis Nkembi, founder of conservation NGO ERuDeF, was abducted by militia fighters in Cameroon’s Lebialem Highlands. He was held for two weeks, hidden in a secret location inside a forest. “It was a traumatic experience,” he recalls. “I can’t go back to that area until everything is resolved.” Though Nkembi was eventually [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In August 2025, Louis Nkembi, founder of conservation NGO ERuDeF, was abducted by militia fighters in Cameroon’s Lebialem Highlands. He was held for two weeks, hidden in a secret location inside a forest. “It was a traumatic experience,” he recalls. “I can’t go back to that area until everything is resolved.” Though Nkembi was eventually freed, his ordeal sheds light on the risks facing scientists, researchers, eco-guards and conservation workers protecting apes in Cameroon’s conflict hotspots, including the Lebialem Highlands. Lebialem is a global biodiversity hotspot in Cameroon’s southwest, host to dozens of endemic and threatened species, including critically endangered Cross River gorillas (Gorilla gorilla diehli), Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes ellioti), African forest elephants (Loxodonta cyclotis), leopards (Panthera pardus), dwarf galagos (Galagoides demidovii) and white-bellied pangolins (Phataginus tricuspis). Camera trap photo of a Cross River gorillas(Gorilla gorilla deihli). Fewer than 300 are believed to survive, making them the rarest great ape subspecies. Image by ©WCS Nigeria. This irresistible richness is the root of Nkembi’s love for Lebialem. He’s spent nearly three decades documenting, surveying and conserving the area through ERuDeF (the Environmental and Rural Development Foundation), which he founded in 1999. In late 2016, Lebialem, like dozens of other parks, reserves and sanctuaries in the region, was swept up in armed conflict that continues to wrack Cameroon’s Northwest and Southwest regions. “It was something that took all of us by surprise,” Ndimuh Bertrand, executive director of Voice of Nature (VoNat), a conservation organization based in the Southwest capital Buea, tells&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/cameroons-decade-of-conflict-leaves-apes-and-conservationists-in-peril/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/cameroons-decade-of-conflict-leaves-apes-and-conservationists-in-peril/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-315157</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Baby gorilla seized from traffickers languishes in Turkish zoo</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/baby-gorilla-seized-from-traffickers-languishes-in-turkish-zoo/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/baby-gorilla-seized-from-traffickers-languishes-in-turkish-zoo/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>13 Feb 2026 15:58:58 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Spoorthy Raman]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Sharon Guynup]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/02/11222802/1-4-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=314164</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, Asia, Central Africa, Democratic Republic Of Congo, Nigeria, Republic of Congo, Southeast Asia, Thailand, Turkey, and West Africa]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Apes, Biodiversity, Conservation, Crime, Critically Endangered Species, Endangered Species, Environment, Gorillas, Great Apes, Poaching, Primates, trafficking, Wildlife, Wildlife Trafficking, and Zoos]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In December 2024, Turkish customs officers were flummoxed when they discovered a malnourished baby gorilla in the cargo hold of an airplane flying from Nigeria to Bangkok, transiting via Istanbul. Wearing a soiled T-shirt, the 5-month-old infant was shoved inside a wooden crate falsely declared to contain 50 rabbits. After a social media campaign, he [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In December 2024, Turkish customs officers were flummoxed when they discovered a malnourished baby gorilla in the cargo hold of an airplane flying from Nigeria to Bangkok, transiting via Istanbul. Wearing a soiled T-shirt, the 5-month-old infant was shoved inside a wooden crate falsely declared to contain 50 rabbits. After a social media campaign, he was named Zeytin, which means “olive” in Turkish. This critically endangered western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) was being smuggled to an animal farm in Bangkok without any export permits or paperwork. All great apes, including gorillas, are afforded the highest protection under CITES, an international treaty regulating wildlife trade, making commercial transnational trade illegal. They can be transferred between zoos or exported for scientific research but require official paperwork. After the seizure made global headlines, Turkish authorities sent Zeytin to Polonezköy Zoo in Istanbul. Meanwhile, they said they were working to imminently dispatch him to a sanctuary in Africa, where he could possibly be released into the wild. But one year on, those plans seem to have bitten the dust. As of September 2025, Zeytin was seen languishing in the same zoo, living a lonely life in a cage — the very life many thought he had escaped. “At present, Türkiye does not have adequate facilities to meet the long-term physical, social and psychological needs of a gorilla,” said primate expert Aslıhan Niksarlı at the Jane Goodall Institute who directs Roots &amp; Shoots Türkiye. “There are also no other gorillas in the country, which&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/baby-gorilla-seized-from-traffickers-languishes-in-turkish-zoo/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/baby-gorilla-seized-from-traffickers-languishes-in-turkish-zoo/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-314164</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Study ties same-sex behavior in primates to ecological and social pressures</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/01/study-ties-same-sex-behavior-in-primates-to-ecological-and-social-pressures/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/01/study-ties-same-sex-behavior-in-primates-to-ecological-and-social-pressures/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>28 Jan 2026 14:14:55 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Aimable Twahirwa]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Malavikavyawahare]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[africa]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/01/28134356/Gorille_de_montage2-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=313420</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animal Behavior, Animals, Apes, Biodiversity, Chimpanzees, Conservation, Endangered Species, Environment, Gorillas, Great Apes, Mammals, Primates, Research, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The fact that primates other than humans engage in homosexual behavior is well-documented. A recent study in Nature Ecology &#38; Evolution digs deeper into the factors influencing the prevalence of this behavior. Of the 491 nonhuman primate species considered in the paper, 59 were found to engage in same-sex behavior. This behavior is more likely [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The fact that primates other than humans engage in homosexual behavior is well-documented. A recent study in Nature Ecology &amp; Evolution digs deeper into the factors influencing the prevalence of this behavior. Of the 491 nonhuman primate species considered in the paper, 59 were found to engage in same-sex behavior. This behavior is more likely to occur among species that live in drier climes, experience heightened food insecurity, and face greater pressure from predators, the researchers suggest, based on analyses of patterns across 23 species. Same-sex interactions are also more likely when there’s a significant difference in body size between male and female members, and in primates with longer lifespans. A more complex and stratified social structure is also a predictor of this behavior. Gorillas are an example where social configurations play a role. This genus of primates includes two species: the western (Gorilla gorilla) and eastern gorillas (Gorilla beringei). Gorilla groups, which include anywhere from 20 to 50 members, typically consist of a dominant adult male (the silverback), several adult females, and their offspring. A chimpanzee in Uganda&#8217;s Kibale Forest. Image by Valerie Hukalo via Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0). “Same-sex sexual behavior in gorillas has been associated with reconciliation and strengthening social bonds,” Chloë Coxshall, a doctoral student in biology at Imperial College London, U.K., and lead author of the study, told Mongabay. “Reconciliation reduces the likelihood of further aggression, which reduces risks of injury or fatalities and promotes group cohesion.” She added that stronger social bonds can be crucial&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/01/study-ties-same-sex-behavior-in-primates-to-ecological-and-social-pressures/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/01/study-ties-same-sex-behavior-in-primates-to-ecological-and-social-pressures/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-313420</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Chimpanzees and gorillas among most traded African primates, report finds</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/01/chimpanzees-and-gorillas-among-most-traded-african-primates-report-finds/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/01/chimpanzees-and-gorillas-among-most-traded-african-primates-report-finds/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>07 Jan 2026 19:39:42 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Spoorthy Raman]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Terna Gyuse]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[africa]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/01/07193401/EasternChimpanzee_Uganda_NikborrowiNaturalistBYNC4.0-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=312696</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, Central Africa, East Africa, Gabon, Germany, Southern Africa, and Uganda]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Apes, Biodiversity, Chimpanzees, Conservation, Critically Endangered Species, Endangered Species, Environment, Environmental Law, Forests, Gorillas, Governance, Great Apes, Primates, Tropical Forests, Wildlife, Wildlife Trade, and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Between 2000 and 2023, more than 6,000 African primates were traded internationally in 50 countries, according to a newly published report. Endangered chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) and critically endangered western gorillas (Gorilla gorilla) were among the 10 most-traded species, according to data from CITES, the global wildlife trade agreement. African primates are traded as trophies, for [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Between 2000 and 2023, more than 6,000 African primates were traded internationally in 50 countries, according to a newly published report. Endangered chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) and critically endangered western gorillas (Gorilla gorilla) were among the 10 most-traded species, according to data from CITES, the global wildlife trade agreement. African primates are traded as trophies, for scientific research, and to be kept in zoos. Hunting monkeys and apes for food and body parts used in charms and rituals is widespread in many parts of Africa. Infants and juveniles are also captured live for the exotic pet trade. The report by U.S.-based nonprofit Pan African Sanctuary Alliance (PASA) is the first to try to capture the scale of the trade, the geographic hotspots, and the species targeted. It draws on data from the CITES trade database, seizure records from the wildlife trade monitoring NGO TRAFFIC, media reports, and other published research to present a picture of the global legal and illegal trade in African primates. “The intention is for this report to serve as both a diagnostic tool and a call to action,” lead author and wildlife crime specialist Monique Sosnowski told Mongabay by email. A chacma baboon in South Africa. The report found that these monkeys are the most traded species legally, mostly as hunting trophies. Image by Martie Swart via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0). Although the report captures international trade in primates from Africa, it doesn’t account for domestic trade, which is driven by food and other traditional uses.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/01/chimpanzees-and-gorillas-among-most-traded-african-primates-report-finds/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/01/chimpanzees-and-gorillas-among-most-traded-african-primates-report-finds/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-312696</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>In eastern Congo’s war-torn forests, Augustin Basabose gave hope to gorillas and people</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/08/in-eastern-congos-war-torn-forests-augustin-basabose-gave-hope-to-gorillas-and-people/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/08/in-eastern-congos-war-torn-forests-augustin-basabose-gave-hope-to-gorillas-and-people/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>25 Aug 2025 00:56:32 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Rhett Ayers Butler]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Rhett Butler]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/08/25003304/Augustin-K-Basabose-gorillas-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=304855</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Founder's briefs]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, Central Africa, Congo Basin, and Democratic Republic Of Congo]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Conservation, Environment, Environmental Heroes, Gorillas, Great Apes, Obituary, Primates, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[&#8220;He was almost always smiling.&#8221; In eastern Congo, where war and poverty have long eroded hope, that smile and the restless energy behind it mattered as much as any conservation plan. Dr. Augustin Kanyunyi Basabose, who died suddenly on August 18th, 2025, gave communities and colleagues the sense that protecting gorillas was not only a [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[&#8220;He was almost always smiling.&#8221; In eastern Congo, where war and poverty have long eroded hope, that smile and the restless energy behind it mattered as much as any conservation plan. Dr. Augustin Kanyunyi Basabose, who died suddenly on August 18th, 2025, gave communities and colleagues the sense that protecting gorillas was not only a duty but a possibility. In the Mikeno Sector of Virunga National Park, where mountain gorillas have endured despite decades of conflict, many credited his outlook with helping people believe that endurance was worth sustaining. Born on Idjwi Island in Lake Kivu, he grew up with his grandmother’s tales about animals, which instilled in him the idea that his life’s work lay with nature. A PhD in zoology at Kyoto University confirmed it. His thesis on chimpanzee ecology made him one of the first Congolese primatologists. That rarity brought responsibility. “I felt myself responsibility to go back home and inspire those young ones so that they can continue the research and the conservation and help the whole world to understand what is happening in DRC,” he said. He did so with resolve. At the International Gorilla Conservation Program he strengthened ranger-based monitoring across the Virunga Massif and Bwindi. Later, he founded Primate Expertise (PEx), a Congolese NGO that placed equal weight on science and people. Gorillas could not be saved without communities, he argued, so PEx dismantled snares, tracked apes with cameras, and planted food and medicinal trees germinated from seeds in gorilla dung. His “Ape&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2025/08/in-eastern-congos-war-torn-forests-augustin-basabose-gave-hope-to-gorillas-and-people/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/08/in-eastern-congos-war-torn-forests-augustin-basabose-gave-hope-to-gorillas-and-people/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-304855</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Friendship benefits male and female mountain gorillas differently, study shows</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/friendship-benefits-male-and-female-mountain-gorillas-differently-study-shows/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/friendship-benefits-male-and-female-mountain-gorillas-differently-study-shows/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>27 Jun 2025 15:06:30 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Liz Kimbrough]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Liz Kimbrough]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/06/27144639/Image1_BeetsmeGroup_Copyright_DianFosseyGorillaFund-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=301574</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, East Africa, and Rwanda]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animal Behavior, Conservation, Endangered Species, Forests, Gorillas, Mammals, Primates, Rainforests, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Titus was just 4 years old when poachers killed his father and several other close adults in his group. Despite the violence, the young mountain gorilla developed an approach to leadership characterized by gentleness and calm behavior, building close bonds with the females in his group, who often stayed in physical contact with him. This [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Titus was just 4 years old when poachers killed his father and several other close adults in his group. Despite the violence, the young mountain gorilla developed an approach to leadership characterized by gentleness and calm behavior, building close bonds with the females in his group, who often stayed in physical contact with him. This friendship-focused style worked out for Titus. He remained the dominant male for two decades, until his death in 2009. A 21-year study of 164 wild mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei), including Titus, found that strong friendships produce both advantages and disadvantages, which differ based on sex and environment. The study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, analyzed decades of behavioral and health records to examine how social bonds influence survival and reproduction in one of the world&#8217;s most endangered species, the mountain gorillas of the Virunga Mountains in East Africa. &#8220;King&#8221; Titus and his daughter Ikaze in the Virunga Mountains. Titus was characterized as a gentle and calm leader. Image courtesy of Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund. There are only around 1,000 living mountain gorillas. Just over half live in the Virunga Mountains, a range of extinct volcanoes that straddle the borders of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Uganda. The remainder inhabit Uganda&#8217;s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Past studies in humans and other animals have shown that strong social bonds typically improve health and help animals live longer; however, this study found that these relationships can sometimes work differently than researchers&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/friendship-benefits-male-and-female-mountain-gorillas-differently-study-shows/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-301574</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Signs of hope for rescued gorillas rewilded in DRC, but security concerns linger</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/signs-of-hope-for-rescued-gorillas-rewilded-in-drc-but-security-concerns-linger/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/signs-of-hope-for-rescued-gorillas-rewilded-in-drc-but-security-concerns-linger/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>25 Jun 2025 16:18:35 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Elodie Toto]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Jeremy Hance]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/06/25130705/Ndjingala-at-GRACE-sanctuary-before-transfer-1-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=301329</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, Central Africa, Congo Basin, and Democratic Republic Of Congo]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Conservation, Critically Endangered Species, Culture, Deforestation, Endangered Species, Environment, Forests, Genetics, Gorillas, Indigenous Peoples, Law, National Parks, Parks, Poaching, Primates, Reintroductions, Tropical Forests, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Isangi, Lulingu, Mapendo and Ndjingala: these are the names of four Grauer’s gorillas (Gorilla beringei graueri) that conservationists reintroduced to the wild in October 2024. After years in a sanctuary, the critically endangered gorillas were released via a rewilding facility in Virunga National Park in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. All four of the [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Isangi, Lulingu, Mapendo and Ndjingala: these are the names of four Grauer’s gorillas (Gorilla beringei graueri) that conservationists reintroduced to the wild in October 2024. After years in a sanctuary, the critically endangered gorillas were released via a rewilding facility in Virunga National Park in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. All four of the gorillas were brought to the Gorilla Rehabilitation and Conservation Education Center (GRACE) in the DRC as infants between 2010 and 2016, after their families were killed by poachers. At 16 hectares (40 acres), the sanctuary gave them the space to forage, socialize and play in a setting close to their natural habitat, under the watchful eyes of adoptive gorilla mothers. GRACE, which specializes in the rescue and rehabilitation of Grauer’s gorillas, a subspecies of the eastern gorilla (Gorilla beringei), said this was the largest reintroduction of eastern gorillas ever carried out in Africa. “I think everybody was just amazed at the natural gorilla behavior the four females showed,” Katie Fawcett, executive and science director at GRACE, tells Mongabay. “Slowly, they moved further and further away from the release site and started exploring, taking on a new diet.” The release back into the wild is the result of more than five years of rewilding work, led by GRACE, Virunga National Park, and local communities, with support from the NGOs Gorilla Doctors and Re:wild. Dr. Eddy Kambale Syaluha, head veterinarian with Gorilla Doctors, in a helicopter with one of the four eastern lowland gorillas in October 2024&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/signs-of-hope-for-rescued-gorillas-rewilded-in-drc-but-security-concerns-linger/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-301329</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Peril and persistence define the path of Africa’s conservationists</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/peril-and-persistence-define-the-path-of-africas-conservationists/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/peril-and-persistence-define-the-path-of-africas-conservationists/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>03 Jun 2025 21:13:35 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Orji Sunday]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Isabel Esterman]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/06/03203112/Nancy-Aol-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=300127</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, East Africa, and West Africa]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Activism, Animals, Apes, Biodiversity, Conservation, Environment, Gorillas, Great Apes, Mammals, Politics, Tropical Forests, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[On the evening of May 9, 2019, conservationist and teacher Itakwu Innocent narrowly survived an assassination attempt outside his home in Kubong-Bette, a small farming village in the southeastern Nigerian state of Cross River. “Daddy! Gun!” Innocent recalls his son screaming seconds before a shot was fired. The bullet scraped his temple, shredding his earlobe [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[On the evening of May 9, 2019, conservationist and teacher Itakwu Innocent narrowly survived an assassination attempt outside his home in Kubong-Bette, a small farming village in the southeastern Nigerian state of Cross River. “Daddy! Gun!” Innocent recalls his son screaming seconds before a shot was fired. The bullet scraped his temple, shredding his earlobe into a dangling piece of bleeding flesh. “They thought I was dead,” Innocent says. The attempt on Innocent’s life epitomizes the threats facing African scientists who come from, and work on, the frontlines of rural conservation. Innocent’s intricate connection to the grassroots ecosystem gives him a deep understanding of the land and the people that surround him. Yet, this connection exposes him to attacks and threats that, unlike foreign or urban-based scientists, he lacks resources to confront or escape. “One cannot run away from his home,“ he says. “This is my only home. And if I don’t save it, who will?” Beyond lack of security, scientists like Innocent face a wider array of career challenges, says Babafemi Ogunjemite, a professor of wildlife management at the Federal University of Technology, Akure, in southwest Nigeria. They’re largely isolated from the spotlight and underfunded. Representation, mentors and visibility remain low, and gender bias is an additional barrier to women. As a result, Ogunjemite says, “the best of our talents are not attracted to the conservation sector.” Innocent Itakwu sits in front of the balcony where an assassin nearly killed him six years ago. Image by Orji Sunday. Viewed&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/peril-and-persistence-define-the-path-of-africas-conservationists/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/peril-and-persistence-define-the-path-of-africas-conservationists/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-300127</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Top 25 most threatened primates highlighted in new report urging action</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/05/top-25-most-threatened-primates-highlighted-in-new-report-urging-action/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/05/top-25-most-threatened-primates-highlighted-in-new-report-urging-action/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>08 May 2025 16:00:17 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Malavika Vyawahare]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Malavikavyawahare]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/05/08133559/Microcebus-berthae-Madame-Berthes-Mouse-lemur-c-Matthias-Markolf-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=298810</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, Asia, Global, Madagascar, and South America]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Apes, Biodiversity, Chimpanzees, Conservation, Endangered Species, Gorillas, Lemurs, Monkeys, Primates, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Nearly two-thirds of all primates are in danger of disappearing, including 100 that have only been described by science in the last 25 years. To spotlight their plight, leading conservation organizations compiled a list of 25 of the most endangered primates in the latest edition of the “Primates in Peril” report. “Since its inception 25 [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Nearly two-thirds of all primates are in danger of disappearing, including 100 that have only been described by science in the last 25 years. To spotlight their plight, leading conservation organizations compiled a list of 25 of the most endangered primates in the latest edition of the “Primates in Peril” report. “Since its inception 25 years ago, the Top 25 list has made a significant contribution to primate conservation, highlighting those species in greatest need and often stimulating major conservation measures such as the creation of new protected areas and increased funding for the target species,” said Russell Mittermeier, a renowned U.S. primatologist who heads the Primate Specialist Group at the IUCN, the global wildlife conservation authority. While many in the order, which includes everything from great apes like gorillas and chimpanzees, to monkeys, lemurs, bush babies and humans, face dire conditions, the selection of the top 25 is purposeful, scientists involved in the report, told Mongabay. It is not a strict ranking based on the severity of threats species face but also aims to be representative of the different geographic regions where primates live and the wide diversity within the primate order. “We also try to select species where inclusion is actually going to be helpful” and spur conservation efforts, Mittermeier said. The variegated spider monkey (Ateles hybridus), found in Colombia and Venezuela, is one of the 25 most threatened primates in the world. Image courtesy of Andrés Link. The new report is a collaboration between the IUCN, the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2025/05/top-25-most-threatened-primates-highlighted-in-new-report-urging-action/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/05/top-25-most-threatened-primates-highlighted-in-new-report-urging-action/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-298810</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>In Cameroon’s forgotten forests, gorillas and chimps hang on</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/05/in-cameroons-forgotten-forests-gorillas-and-chimps-hang-on/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/05/in-cameroons-forgotten-forests-gorillas-and-chimps-hang-on/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>07 May 2025 18:33:33 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Spoorthy Raman]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Isabel Esterman]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[africa]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/05/07080723/Gorilla-2-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=298718</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, Cameroon, and West Africa]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Apes, Biodiversity, Camera Trapping, Chimpanzees, Conservation, Endangered Species, Forest Fragmentation, Forests, Fragmentation, Gorillas, Great Apes, Mammals, Primates, Protected Areas, Research, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[At first glance, it’s easy to dismiss the ecological significance of Mbalmayo Forest Reserve in southern Cameroon, one of several degraded forest patches scattered across the country. Located on the outskirts of the town of Mbalmayo, about 50 kilometers (30 miles) from the country’s capital, Yaoundé, the reserve appears to be too close to human [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[At first glance, it’s easy to dismiss the ecological significance of Mbalmayo Forest Reserve in southern Cameroon, one of several degraded forest patches scattered across the country. Located on the outskirts of the town of Mbalmayo, about 50 kilometers (30 miles) from the country’s capital, Yaoundé, the reserve appears to be too close to human habitation to harbor a wealth of biodiversity — or at least that’s what scientists thought. But when wildlife conservationist Jean Christian Mey Boudoug visited Mbalmayo to pursue fieldwork for his Ph.D. in the late 2010s, he was surprised to see parts of the forest still intact and flourishing. Although his research showed the reserve had lost nearly 30% of its forests to banana and cacao plantations by 2018, when he looked closer, he discovered what many trained eyes had missed. “We found some evidence of what seemed to be chimps or gorilla,” Boudoug told Mongabay, referring to nests he found in the forest. Since the 1960s, just one primate species, the northern talapoin (Miopithecus ogouensis), was known to inhabit Mbalmayo Forest Reserve. Other species found in the area include duikers (Cephalophus spp.), African civets (Civettictis civetta), African palm civets (Nandinia binotata) and other small mammals. There were no photos or videos of other primates. So Boudoug bought a few trail cameras off the internet with his own money and installed them in the reserve. When community members living around Zamakoe Forest Reserve, another similarly degraded forest patch just north of Mbalmayo, told him about chimpanzee&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2025/05/in-cameroons-forgotten-forests-gorillas-and-chimps-hang-on/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/05/in-cameroons-forgotten-forests-gorillas-and-chimps-hang-on/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-298718</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Poaching intensifies in M23-occupied areas of Virunga National Park</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/04/poaching-intensifies-in-m23-occupied-areas-of-virunga-national-park/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/04/poaching-intensifies-in-m23-occupied-areas-of-virunga-national-park/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>30 Apr 2025 20:19:19 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Mongabay.com]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Latoya Abulu]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/04/30201847/21271677985_88ac6d680d_k-e1746044266982-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=298437</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Global Forests]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, Congo Basin, Democratic Republic Of Congo, and East Africa]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Conflict, Corruption, Deforestation, Forests, Gorillas, Illegal Trade, Rainforests, Traditional People, Tropical Deforestation, War, Wildlife, and Wildlife Trade]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The intensifying security crisis in parts of the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) over the years is undermining wildlife protection in Virunga National Park, say officials and local residents. The growing clashes in early 2025 between the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo, local militias known as the Wazalendo, and the M23 [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The intensifying security crisis in parts of the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) over the years is undermining wildlife protection in Virunga National Park, say officials and local residents. The growing clashes in early 2025 between the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo, local militias known as the Wazalendo, and the M23 (March 23 movement), which occupies large territory in the national park, is leading to poaching and illegal trade. Some residents are taking advantage of the climate of insecurity to carry out illegal activities that are destroying habitats, often cooperating with armed groups, according to a 2023 report by the Centre for Education for Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development (CEPED). On March 11, 2025, park authorities discovered a young gorilla caught in a poacher’s trap. &#8220;Thanks to the rapid intervention of our monitoring team and veterinarians, Fazili [the young gorilla] received emergency care, including the removal of the trap and treatment for his injuries,&#8221; stated officials on the Virunga National Park’s X account (formerly Twitter). Partial view of a mountain range in Virunga National Park in North Kivu, DRC. Image by MONUSCO/Abel Kavanagh via Wikimédia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0). A representative from CREDHO, an environmental and human rights research center in North Kivu, explained that since April 2024, eco-guards had to leave several strategic positions due to M23 threats. These include Rwindi in Rutshuru territory, in the heart of Virunga National Park at the crossroads between Kiwanja-Kanyabayonga on national road number two linking the territories of&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2025/04/poaching-intensifies-in-m23-occupied-areas-of-virunga-national-park/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/04/poaching-intensifies-in-m23-occupied-areas-of-virunga-national-park/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-298437</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>As apes adapt to human disturbance, their new behaviors also put them at risk: Study</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/03/as-apes-adapt-to-human-disturbance-their-new-behaviors-also-put-them-at-risk-study/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/03/as-apes-adapt-to-human-disturbance-their-new-behaviors-also-put-them-at-risk-study/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>24 Mar 2025 17:30:20 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Charles Mpaka]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Isabel Esterman]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[africa]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/03/24131520/orangutan-borneo-768x512-1.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=296353</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, Asia, and Southeast Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Animal Behavior, Animals, Apes, Biodiversity, Bonobos, Chimpanzees, Conservation, Deforestation, Endangered Species, Environment, Forests, Gorillas, Great Apes, Habitat, Habitat Degradation, Habitat Loss, Human-wildlife Conflict, Mammals, Orangutans, Primates, Research, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Human activities such as mining, agriculture, urbanization, damming and logging threaten the habitats of great apes in Africa and Asia. Apes have shown resilience to these disruptions by adapting their behavior in a variety of ways, including crop raiding and changing nesting sites, a new study finds. But while such adjustments appear to facilitate their [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Human activities such as mining, agriculture, urbanization, damming and logging threaten the habitats of great apes in Africa and Asia. Apes have shown resilience to these disruptions by adapting their behavior in a variety of ways, including crop raiding and changing nesting sites, a new study finds. But while such adjustments appear to facilitate their short-term survival, they can make apes vulnerable to more dangers in the long term. “Under many contexts changing great ape behavior is putting a strain on the human-ape relationship, resulting in injury, harassment and even the killing of apes,” reads the study, a global review of studies on apes’ adaptations to human-caused disturbances. Since great apes are both behaviorally flexible and among the most threatened species on the planet, identifying patterns in their responses to human-generated disturbances can help categorize common concerns and long-term outcomes, the researchers say. Co-author Miranda Gilbert, from the Great Ape Behaviour (GAB) Laboratory at the University of Victoria in Canada, told Mongabay that since human activities are increasingly affecting ecosystems, it’s important to understand how wildlife cope with such changes. This, she said, helps us determine whether certain species can survive such changes in the long term, as well as understand any additional impacts animals may experience due to behaviors they adopt in order to survive in the altered environment, or because they decide to move to new habitats. Together, these help generate effective conservation strategies. In this study, Gilbert and co-author Ammie Kalan, head of the GAB Lab, conducted&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2025/03/as-apes-adapt-to-human-disturbance-their-new-behaviors-also-put-them-at-risk-study/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/03/as-apes-adapt-to-human-disturbance-their-new-behaviors-also-put-them-at-risk-study/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-296353</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>The environmental toll of the M23 conflict in eastern DRC (Analysis)</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/03/the-environmental-toll-of-the-m23-conflict-in-eastern-drc-analysis/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/03/the-environmental-toll-of-the-m23-conflict-in-eastern-drc-analysis/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>07 Mar 2025 14:55:35 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Fergus O’Leary SimpsonJoel MasselinkLara Collart]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Latoya Abulu]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/01/21102829/Mountain_Gorilla_Humba_family_%E2%80%93_Virunga_National_Park_31-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=295333</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, Congo Basin, Democratic Republic Of Congo, and East Africa]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Analysis, Conflict, Conservation, Deforestation, Environment, Environmental Policy, Forests, Gorillas, Governance, Illegal Logging, Illegal Mining, Logging, Mammals, Mining, National Parks, Politics, Rainforests, Resource Conflict, War, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The resurgence of the M23 (March 23 movement) rebel group has once again drawn global attention to the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The humanitarian crisis—millions displaced, thousands killed, a ‘public health nightmare’ unfolding—rightly dominates headlines. Yet the conflict is having another significant and often overlooked impact: on the environment. The Kivu provinces, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The resurgence of the M23 (March 23 movement) rebel group has once again drawn global attention to the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The humanitarian crisis—millions displaced, thousands killed, a ‘public health nightmare’ unfolding—rightly dominates headlines. Yet the conflict is having another significant and often overlooked impact: on the environment. The Kivu provinces, where the fighting is concentrated, are part of one of the world’s most important biodiversity hotspots, the Albertine Rift. Home to endangered species such as eastern lowland and mountain gorillas, as well as two UNESCO World Heritage Sites — Virunga and Kahuzi-Biega National Parks — the region is under increasing environmental pressure. Its protected areas, with resource-rich and rugged terrains, have historically served as ideal rear operating bases for non-state armed groups. Since the early 1990s, a series of conflicts have led to domino effects and left deep scars on the region’s forests and wildlife. In South Kivu’s Kahuzi-Biega National Park, for example, elephants were nearly wiped out in the early 2000s. Gorilla populations also plummeted, but as the conflict subsided and armed groups gradually withdrew from the park — along with strengthened law enforcement — their numbers began recovering to pre-conflict levels. The most recent round of conflict threatens to undo these hard-won gains. Our analysis highlights a sharp increase in deforestation since the recent conflict started in late 2021. This has been driven by a mixture of population displacements, the disruption of conservation law enforcement, and the involvement of different armed actors in&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2025/03/the-environmental-toll-of-the-m23-conflict-in-eastern-drc-analysis/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/03/the-environmental-toll-of-the-m23-conflict-in-eastern-drc-analysis/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-295333</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>‘Some people will die’: Conversations with Nigeria’s gorilla hunters</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/02/some-people-will-die-conversations-with-nigerias-gorilla-hunters/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2025/02/some-people-will-die-conversations-with-nigerias-gorilla-hunters/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>27 Feb 2025 00:34:52 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Orji Sunday]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Isabel Esterman]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/02/27001945/western-lowland-gorilla-R-Butler-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=295078</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, Nigeria, and West Africa]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Apes, Biodiversity, Bushmeat, Chimpanzees, Endangered Species, Environment, Gorillas, Great Apes, Hunting, Mammals, Traditional Medicine, Wildlife, and Wildlife Trade]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[On a night in 1997, Benjamin Dauda killed a gorilla for the first time. Shrouding his lanky frame in dark fog, he stalked a foraging troop, finally dispatching his bullet on his mark. It was a giant male, he says, struck in the chest. “When I came close to the dead body, it was exactly [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[On a night in 1997, Benjamin Dauda killed a gorilla for the first time. Shrouding his lanky frame in dark fog, he stalked a foraging troop, finally dispatching his bullet on his mark. It was a giant male, he says, struck in the chest. “When I came close to the dead body, it was exactly like a human being. The only difference is that we humans dress in clothes but gorillas wear fur,” Dauda tells Mongabay. “I was scared to touch it. I was shivering.” Dauda, 52, hails from Sunkuru, a community of clans settled in the northeastern Nigerian state of Taraba. He apprenticed under his father, who was himself a renowned hunter in his time. For Dauda and many of his peers, hunting was a path to both survival and fame, passed on as a heritage between generations. But an uneasy hurdle lay on his path to heroism and heritage: centuries-old totems and taboos forbidding the killing of apes. Months after the death of his father and sponsor, when unpaid tuition put him on the verge of dropping out of high school, he took up his father’s gun and turned to the forbidden act. “I had to kill it [the gorilla] because of money,” Dauda tells Mongabay. “It is a terrible thing to do, but I had to do it because there was no option.” Yet, once Dauda ’s appetite for gorilla money was kindled, there was no going back. He says he killed more than 10 gorillas until&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2025/02/some-people-will-die-conversations-with-nigerias-gorilla-hunters/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-295078</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Armed conflict, not Batwa people, at heart of Grauer’s gorillas&#8217; past decline in DRC park</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/12/armed-conflict-not-batwa-people-biggest-factor-in-decline-of-grauers-gorillas-in-drc-park/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/12/armed-conflict-not-batwa-people-biggest-factor-in-decline-of-grauers-gorillas-in-drc-park/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>16 Dec 2024 18:09:52 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Aimable TwahirwaLatoya Abulu]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Latoya Abulu]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2021/07/06145853/Grauers-Gorillas_Kahuzi-Biega_April-2014-34-scaled-e1734369681806-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=291739</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Indigenous Peoples and Conservation]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, Central Africa, Congo Basin, and Democratic Republic Of Congo]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Apes, Biodiversity, Biodiversity Hotspots, Conservation, Controversial, Critically Endangered Species, Endangered Species, Forests, Gorillas, Indigenous Peoples, Mammals, National Parks, Population, Protected Areas, Rainforests, and Science]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[A new study has concluded that the decline in Grauer’s gorillas in a sector of their main stronghold in the Democratic Republic of Congo was the result of the impacts of armed conflict, rather than the presence or absence of Indigenous communities. With the end of the Second Congo War in 2003, gorilla populations in [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[A new study has concluded that the decline in Grauer’s gorillas in a sector of their main stronghold in the Democratic Republic of Congo was the result of the impacts of armed conflict, rather than the presence or absence of Indigenous communities. With the end of the Second Congo War in 2003, gorilla populations in Kahuzi-Biega National Park’s highland sector rose back up, where they’ve remained since one of the latest estimates. The international group of authors said their analysis challenges two opposing narratives around the Indigenous Batwa people native to the area: on one hand, some conservation authorities view the Batwa as forest destroyers responsible for gorilla decline; on the other, some Indigenous rights activists say the decline occurred because the Batwa were evicted and no longer present to care for the forest. The situation is more complex than this dichotomy, the researchers told Mongabay. Kahuzi-Biega National Park used to be home to thousands of Indigenous Batwa people before they were forcibly evicted in the 1970s, with no alternative lands. Today, the highland sector of the park serves as a center for tourism of Grauer’s gorillas (Gorilla beringei graueri), a critically endangered subspecies of the eastern gorilla, and the park’s headquarters. In the last several years, Indigenous rights advocates and conservation authorities have debated over the imposition of “fortress conservation” and the Batwa peoples’ role in biodiversity loss. According to field survey data analyzed for the new study, after the Batwa were removed from the park, gorilla numbers remained&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2024/12/armed-conflict-not-batwa-people-biggest-factor-in-decline-of-grauers-gorillas-in-drc-park/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/12/armed-conflict-not-batwa-people-biggest-factor-in-decline-of-grauers-gorillas-in-drc-park/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-291739</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Monitoring group cracks down on deforestation in Cameroon gorilla sanctuary</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/11/monitoring-group-cracks-down-on-deforestation-in-cameroon-gorilla-sanctuary/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/11/monitoring-group-cracks-down-on-deforestation-in-cameroon-gorilla-sanctuary/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>28 Nov 2024 22:20:13 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Ruth Kamnitzer]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Morgan Erickson-Davis]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2024/11/28215224/FqTOt-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=290876</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Forest Trackers]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, Cameroon, and Central Africa]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Apes, Chimpanzees, Deforestation, Elephants, Environment, Forest Loss, Forests, Gorillas, Green, Habitat Loss, Logging, National Parks, Primary Forests, Primates, Protected Areas, Rainforests, Tropical Forests, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Spanning nearly a tenth of the vast Congo Basin’s rainforest, the transboundary Dja-Odzala-Minkébé (TRIDOM) landscape is a nearly unbroken green canopy, stretching across Cameroon, the Republic of Congo and Gabon. Human population density and deforestation rates are generally low, making the entire region a high-priority landscape for carbon sequestration and the conservation of endangered and [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Spanning nearly a tenth of the vast Congo Basin’s rainforest, the transboundary Dja-Odzala-Minkébé (TRIDOM) landscape is a nearly unbroken green canopy, stretching across Cameroon, the Republic of Congo and Gabon. Human population density and deforestation rates are generally low, making the entire region a high-priority landscape for carbon sequestration and the conservation of endangered and critically endangered animals like forest elephants (Loxodonta cyclotis), western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) and chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). A quarter of the TRIDOM landscape is now under protection, encompassed by eleven protected areas. Of these, southern Cameroon’s Mengame Gorilla Sanctuary at 26,780 hectares is one of the smallest. A young western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) strikes a sassy pose in Gabon. Image by Rhett A. Butler / Mongabay. That may be why it receives little attention, says Genevieve Ndjiki, president of the Action for Sustainable Development, a civil society organization in Cameroon. Yet research indicates the sanctuary supports “important” populations of apes, even when compared to other protected areas in Central Africa. Initially, Mengame was paired with the nearby proposed Kom National Park, a 68,050-hectare protected area to the east. But whilst Mengame was officially gazetted in 2008, the proposed Kom National Park was converted to a forest management unit sometime around 2021. When ASD began monitoring Mengame via the Global Forest Watch (GFW) platform they became concerned when they noticed satellite-detected deforestation alerts appearing and proliferating in the reserve. And, realizing that the sanctuary didn’t have an outside conservation partner, they wanted to&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2024/11/monitoring-group-cracks-down-on-deforestation-in-cameroon-gorilla-sanctuary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/11/monitoring-group-cracks-down-on-deforestation-in-cameroon-gorilla-sanctuary/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-290876</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>WWF report offers glimmer of conservation hope — yet warns of a planet in peril</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/10/wwf-report-offers-glimmer-of-conservation-hope-yet-warns-of-a-planet-in-peril/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/10/wwf-report-offers-glimmer-of-conservation-hope-yet-warns-of-a-planet-in-peril/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>10 Oct 2024 16:33:29 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Anne NzouankeuDavid Akana]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Christophe Assogba]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2024/10/10154622/Original_WW179779-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=288525</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, Central Africa, Democratic Republic Of Congo, East Africa, Rwanda, and Uganda]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Animals, Climate Change, Community-based Conservation, Conservation, Elephants, Gorillas, Illegal Trade, Primates, Protected Areas, Rainforests, Wildlife, and Wildlife Trade]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[With recent conservation efforts and the involvement of Indigenous peoples and local communities in managing protected areas, forest elephant populations are on the verge of stabilizing,in at least one national park. This is, among other things, what WWF Africa said during a recent press briefing for the launch of the Living Planet Report. Elephant populations, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[With recent conservation efforts and the involvement of Indigenous peoples and local communities in managing protected areas, forest elephant populations are on the verge of stabilizing,in at least one national park. This is, among other things, what WWF Africa said during a recent press briefing for the launch of the Living Planet Report. Elephant populations, which are primarily found in Central and West Africa, had declined by more than 80% in past decades due to poaching for the lucrative ivory trade. However, “there are signs that, in certain specific places, conservation efforts are bearing fruit,” reassures Martin Kabaluapa, WWF regional director for the Congo Basin, contacted by Mongabay for a comment. He explains that in the Central African Republic (CAR), “anti-poaching teams have been set up in the Dzanga-Sangha National Park. These efforts have significantly reduced elephant poaching for ivory, one of the main causes of the population&#8217;s decline in the past. Collaboration with local communities and judicious land use planning have also played a key role”. It should be noted that almost half of all forest elephants in Central Africa are believed to reside in Gabon. Indeed, with justover a 1000 left in the world, the mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei), according to the report, have experienced a 3% increase per year between 2010 and 2016, representing another ray of hope. Mountain gorillas are known to live primarily in Rwanda Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Conservation interventions such as dedicated management of protected areas, extensive engagement with&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2024/10/wwf-report-offers-glimmer-of-conservation-hope-yet-warns-of-a-planet-in-peril/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/10/wwf-report-offers-glimmer-of-conservation-hope-yet-warns-of-a-planet-in-peril/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-288525</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Indigenous knowledge proves key in a study of plants gorillas use to self-medicate</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/10/indigenous-knowledge-proves-key-in-a-study-of-plants-gorillas-use-to-self-medicate/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/10/indigenous-knowledge-proves-key-in-a-study-of-plants-gorillas-use-to-self-medicate/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>03 Oct 2024 21:15:17 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Charles Mpaka]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Isabel Esterman]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2024/10/12204129/gabon-15610-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=288187</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Great Apes]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, Central Africa, and Gabon]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Apes, Biodiversity, Conservation, Environment, Gorillas, Indigenous Peoples, Mammals, Medicinal Plants, Medicine, Primates, Protected Areas, Rainforests, Traditional Knowledge, Traditional Medicine, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[For the Indigenous Vungu people living along the border of Gabon’s Moukalaba-Doudou National Park, the forest here has long been a source of traditional medicines. So when researchers set out to determine the bioactive properties of plants consumed by the park’s western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla), and which the Vungu also use for medicine, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[For the Indigenous Vungu people living along the border of Gabon’s Moukalaba-Doudou National Park, the forest here has long been a source of traditional medicines. So when researchers set out to determine the bioactive properties of plants consumed by the park’s western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla), and which the Vungu also use for medicine, the community’s knowledge proved vital to their findings. Leresche Oyaba Yinda, lead author of the resulting study published in PLOS ONE, says interviewing the local people, traditional healers and herbalists about the medicinal uses of plants eaten by gorillas “was a decisive step in the effectiveness of our study.” “Indeed, these ethnobotanical and ethnopharmacological surveys carried out among the [Indigenous people] of Moukalaba-Doudou National Park were like a compass pointing us in the direction of our questioning,” says Yinda, a scientist from the bacteriology lab at the Interdisciplinary Medical Research Center of Franceville in Gabon. A growing body of research has established that nonhuman animals use plants, as well as animal or soil substances, to treat wounds or other health conditions. It’s also been found that some of the plants that animals consume for self-medication are also used medicinally by humans. In the current study, a team of 13 researchers aimed to determine the medical properties of plants consumed by gorillas that are also part of the Vungu people’s traditional pharmacopeia. Lowland gorilla in Gabon. Western lowland gorillas eat a wide variety of plants, including species used medicinally by local people. Image by Rhett A.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2024/10/indigenous-knowledge-proves-key-in-a-study-of-plants-gorillas-use-to-self-medicate/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2024/10/indigenous-knowledge-proves-key-in-a-study-of-plants-gorillas-use-to-self-medicate/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-288187</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Gorilla permit fraud dents community-led conservation efforts in Uganda</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2023/10/gorilla-permit-fraud-dents-community-led-conservation-efforts-in-uganda/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2023/10/gorilla-permit-fraud-dents-community-led-conservation-efforts-in-uganda/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>27 Oct 2023 14:06:57 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Malavika VyawahareNangayi Guyson]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Isabel Esterman]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[africa]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2023/10/27124836/gorilla-uganda-2-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=274715</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Great Apes]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, East Africa, and Uganda]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Apes, Charismatic Animals, Conservation, Conservation Finance, Corruption, Endangered Species, Environment, Forests, Funding, Gorillas, Governance, Great Apes, Protected Areas, Tourism, Tropical Forests, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Tourists from around the world pay top dollar for a once-in-a-lifetime chance to hobnob with gorilla families in Uganda’s montane forests. Part of the rationale for the steep prices is that gorilla permits fund efforts to keep these majestic apes safe. However, allegations of fraud in issuing of gorilla and chimpanzee permits at the Uganda [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Tourists from around the world pay top dollar for a once-in-a-lifetime chance to hobnob with gorilla families in Uganda’s montane forests. Part of the rationale for the steep prices is that gorilla permits fund efforts to keep these majestic apes safe. However, allegations of fraud in issuing of gorilla and chimpanzee permits at the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) have exposed weaknesses in the country’s tourism-led conservation approach. Some UWA employees were allegedly printing fake permits and issuing them to unsuspecting tourists. Corrupt officials pocketed the funds, according to UWA officials, so no records of the transactions existed in the agency’s financial records. However, tourists with the counterfeit documents were able to use them. A tourism ‘cash cow’ Uganda offers paying visitors the rare privilege of interacting with some of our closest primate cousins in the wild. The experience is coveted because mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei), a subspecies of the eastern gorilla, nearly went extinct a few decades ago, their population shrinking to a few hundred individuals. Concerted conservation efforts helped their numbers rebound to more than 1,000 today. These mountain-dwelling primates are found only in Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda. Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, nestled in the country’s southwestern corner, on the border with the DRC, is home to half of the endangered great apes. Mgahinga National Park, which lies in the Virunga mountains that stretch across the border into the DRC and Rwanda hosts one additional family of mountain gorillas that are&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2023/10/gorilla-permit-fraud-dents-community-led-conservation-efforts-in-uganda/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2023/10/gorilla-permit-fraud-dents-community-led-conservation-efforts-in-uganda/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-274715</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Elephants invade as habitat loss soars in Nigerian forest reserve</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2023/08/elephants-invade-as-habitat-loss-soars-in-nigerian-forest-reserve/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2023/08/elephants-invade-as-habitat-loss-soars-in-nigerian-forest-reserve/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>21 Aug 2023 21:33:15 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Orji Sunday]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Morgan Erickson-Davis]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2023/08/21212108/Loxodontacyclotis-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=272446</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Forest Trackers]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, Central Africa, and West Africa]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Apes, Cacao, Conservation, Critically Endangered Species, Deforestation, Endangered Species, Environment, Farming, Fires, Forests, Gorillas, Green, Habitat, Habitat Degradation, Habitat Loss, Illegal Logging, Logging, Mongabay Data Studio, National Parks, Old Growth Forests, Poverty, Primary Forests, Primates, Protected Areas, Rainforests, Tropical Forests, Wildlife, and Wildlife Corridors]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Where southeastern Nigeria abuts western Cameroon, dense rainforest still shelters iconic, threatened megafauna like critically endangered African forest elephants (Lloxodonta cyclotis) and Cross River gorillas (Gorilla gorilla diehli), as well as endangered drill monkeys (Mandrillus leucophaeus) and Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes ellioti). But as human incursions cut apart habitat, wildlife is increasingly straying into farmland and [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Where southeastern Nigeria abuts western Cameroon, dense rainforest still shelters iconic, threatened megafauna like critically endangered African forest elephants (Lloxodonta cyclotis) and Cross River gorillas (Gorilla gorilla diehli), as well as endangered drill monkeys (Mandrillus leucophaeus) and Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes ellioti). But as human incursions cut apart habitat, wildlife is increasingly straying into farmland and human settlements, according to local reports. Areas near Nigeria&#8217;s Afi River Forest Reserve in the state of Cross River are reportedly particularly affected by straying elephants. “These elephants have been invading farms. These are personal farms. So the people are really suffering,&#8221;  Leonard Akam told Mongabay over the phone. Akam is the head of Boje, one of the largest communities near the reserve. “The destruction an elephant can cause in a day is more than the job of three people. It is just like a bulldozer paving a path.” This increase in human-wildlife conflict comes as habitat in the Afi River reserve and other nearby protected areas is disappearing. Satellite data from Global Forest Watch show the reserve lost more than 5% of its primary forest cover between 2002 and 2022, with preliminary data for 2023 suggesting deforestation has skyrocketed further this year. This deforestation is whittling away the habitat of a multitude of species, including Mona monkeys (Cercopithecus mona), yellow-backed duikers (C. silvicultor), blue duikers (Philantomba monticola), bay duikers (Cephalophus dorsalis), red river hogs (Potamochoerus porcus) and African brush-tailed porcupines (Atherurus africanus). The region&#8217;s most iconic resident is arguably the Cross River gorilla, Africa’s&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2023/08/elephants-invade-as-habitat-loss-soars-in-nigerian-forest-reserve/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2023/08/elephants-invade-as-habitat-loss-soars-in-nigerian-forest-reserve/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-272446</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Camera trap images of rare gorillas with infants bring hope in DRC</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2023/04/camera-trap-photos-of-rare-gorillas-with-infants-bring-hope-in-the-drc/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2023/04/camera-trap-photos-of-rare-gorillas-with-infants-bring-hope-in-the-drc/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>21 Apr 2023 16:52:20 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Liz Kimbrough]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Liz Kimbrough]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2023/04/21163815/2023.01_GRACE_Tayna-Trailcam-Gorillas_IMAG0763-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=267747</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa and Democratic Republic Of Congo]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Apes, Biodiversity, Community Forests, Community-based Conservation, Endangered Species, Environment, Forests, Gorillas, Great Apes, Green, Happy-upbeat Environmental, Mammals, Primates, Protected Areas, Rainforests, Tropical Forests, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Newly captured images from camera traps in the Tayna Nature Reserve in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have recorded two mother-infant pairs of critically endangered eastern lowland gorillas. These images confirm the presence of healthy family groups of this great ape in Tayna, considered one of the gorillas&#8217; last strongholds. The eastern lowland gorilla, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Newly captured images from camera traps in the Tayna Nature Reserve in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have recorded two mother-infant pairs of critically endangered eastern lowland gorillas. These images confirm the presence of healthy family groups of this great ape in Tayna, considered one of the gorillas&#8217; last strongholds. The eastern lowland gorilla, also known as Grauer&#8217;s gorilla (Gorilla beringei graueri), is one of the world&#8217;s most endangered primates, with no more than 6,800 individuals left in the world. &#8220;For a critically endangered population where every individual counts, these mother-infant pairs provide hope for the future of gorillas in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo,&#8221; said Katie Fawcett, program director of Gorilla Rehabilitation and Conservation Education (GRACE). GRACE operates the world&#8217;s only sanctuary for rescued eastern lowland gorillas. Eastern Lowland Gorilla family troop with infant captured with remote field camera in Tayna Nature Reserve. Photo courtesy of Milo Putnam. &#8220;We are continuously inspired by the commitment of GRACE in protecting the eastern lowland gorilla,&#8221; said Mary Brown, senior manager of conservation partnerships at the NGO Re:wild. Tayna is a community-managed reserve, and the local community is an integral part of the monitoring effort there, according to Re:wild. All monitoring teams are hired and trained from local communities in partnership with the elected management authority, Réserve des Gorilles de Tayna (RGT). To capture these images, and monitor the gorillas, two teams followed one day behind a single gorilla group, providing a continuous presence in an area of the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2023/04/camera-trap-photos-of-rare-gorillas-with-infants-bring-hope-in-the-drc/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-267747</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Mountain gorilla reproduction slows with female transfers, study shows</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2022/11/mountain-gorilla-reproduction-slows-with-female-transfers-study-shows/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2022/11/mountain-gorilla-reproduction-slows-with-female-transfers-study-shows/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>24 Nov 2022 12:12:23 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Ini Ekott]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Isabel Esterman]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2018/11/15162819/mountain-gorillas-rwanda-Ludovic-Hirlimann-flickr-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=262922</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Great Apes]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, Central Africa, and Rwanda]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Apes, Biodiversity, Conservation, Endangered Species, Environment, Gorillas, Great Apes, Mammals, Protected Areas, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Mountain gorillas are currently the only nonhuman great ape whose population is not declining. Thanks to successful conservation interventions, the species&#8217; population has increased from 620 in 1989 to more than 1,000 today, enabling the International Union for Conservation of Nature to change the species&#8217; conservation status from critically endangered to endangered. However, with mountain [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Mountain gorillas are currently the only nonhuman great ape whose population is not declining. Thanks to successful conservation interventions, the species&#8217; population has increased from 620 in 1989 to more than 1,000 today, enabling the International Union for Conservation of Nature to change the species&#8217; conservation status from critically endangered to endangered. However, with mountain gorilla habitat confined to a few islands of protected area, a growing body of research shows that rising population numbers have come at a price. Previous research showed that as their numbers increased and mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei) formed new groups within a fixed habitat, intergroup clashes became more frequent. That, in turn, correlated with a sharp increase in infanticide, higher mortality rates for adult males and a slowdown in population growth. Now, a new study points to another factor dragging down population growth: When intergroup contact increases, so do transfers of females between groups, leading to delayed reproduction. The study also emphasizes that all of these factors — higher encounter rates, more infant and male deaths, more female transfers — cascade. “All of this in combination means that the group fissions lead to higher mortality and slower reproduction resulting in a considerable slow in population growth,” Robin Morrison, postdoctoral researcher at the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund and co-author of the study, told Mongabay by email. Mother and baby mountain gorilla, part of the Sabyinyo group in Rwanda&#8217;s Volcanoes National Park. Increased infanticide as gorilla group density increases is a significant factor in slowing the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2022/11/mountain-gorilla-reproduction-slows-with-female-transfers-study-shows/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-262922</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Study highlights ‘friends with benefits’ relation between gorillas and chimps</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2022/10/study-highlights-friends-with-benefits-relation-between-gorillas-and-chimps/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2022/10/study-highlights-friends-with-benefits-relation-between-gorillas-and-chimps/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>12 Oct 2022 18:14:40 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Ryan Truscott]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Isabel Esterman]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2022/10/12175615/bigger-version-image-2-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=261423</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Great Apes]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, Central Africa, Congo Basin, and Republic of Congo]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animal Behavior, Animals, Apes, Biodiversity, Chimpanzees, Endangered Species, Environment, Gorillas, Happy-upbeat Environmental, Mammals, Primates, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Gorillas and chimpanzees living in a remote part of the Congo Basin hang out together and some, like humans, even establish “relationships with benefits,” a new study reveals. Observations of eastern chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) and western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) in the Republic of Congo’s Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park carried out between 1999 and [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Gorillas and chimpanzees living in a remote part of the Congo Basin hang out together and some, like humans, even establish “relationships with benefits,” a new study reveals. Observations of eastern chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) and western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) in the Republic of Congo’s Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park carried out between 1999 and 2020 reveals that some of these benefits include something akin to friendship. “On several occasions at food sources, we observed young gorillas and chimpanzees seeking out particular partners to engage in bouts of play which may afford unique developmental opportunities to extend their social, physical, and cognitive competencies,” says the study published in the journal iScience. In one striking example, the team observed young chimpanzees beating their chests — a behavior that only gorillas have previously been recorded doing. “While these chimpanzees could have spontaneously innovated chest-beating, they also regularly have the opportunity to observe gorillas exhibiting this behavior,” David Morgan, a research fellow at Chicago’s Lincoln Park Zoo and co-author of the study, told Mongabay. “It is possible that the chimpanzees learned this gesture from the gorillas and that these species could share some cultural behaviors.” Scientists conduct daily follows with chimpanzee and gorilla social groups in the Goualougo Triangle (Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park in the northern Republic of Congo). These chimpanzees and gorillas have been followed and individually identified by researchers for more than 20 years. Images courtesy of Goualougo Triangle Ape Project. The research was carried out in a remote study area in&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2022/10/study-highlights-friends-with-benefits-relation-between-gorillas-and-chimps/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2022/10/study-highlights-friends-with-benefits-relation-between-gorillas-and-chimps/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-261423</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Thai zoos come under scrutiny again as tourism rebounds from COVID-19</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2022/10/thai-zoos-come-under-scrutiny-again-as-tourism-rebounds-from-covid-19/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2022/10/thai-zoos-come-under-scrutiny-again-as-tourism-rebounds-from-covid-19/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>10 Oct 2022 02:07:21 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Shannon Brault]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Philip Jacobson]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2022/10/07155515/ThailandRehab01-gorilla-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=261287</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Great Apes and Illegal Wildlife Trade]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, Southeast Asia, and Thailand]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animal Rights, Animal Welfare, Animals, Big Cats, Chimpanzees, Conservation, Endangered Species, Environment, Gibbons, Gorillas, Mammals, NGOs, Primates, Tigers, Tourism, Wildlife, Wildlife Rehabilitation, Wildlife Rescues, and Zoos]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[BANGKOK — A run-down department store tucked among Bangkok’s skyscrapers is home to the rooftop Pata Zoo, where nearly 300 animals pace in cages littered with feces, food scraps and trash. Bua Noi, the main attraction at the zoo and the only gorilla known to be in Thailand, has been kept in a cage here [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[BANGKOK — A run-down department store tucked among Bangkok’s skyscrapers is home to the rooftop Pata Zoo, where nearly 300 animals pace in cages littered with feces, food scraps and trash. Bua Noi, the main attraction at the zoo and the only gorilla known to be in Thailand, has been kept in a cage here for 30 years, isolated and alone. “This zoo follows no animal care or welfare standards,” Georgina Groves, the executive director of Wild Welfare, a U.K.-based nonprofit, said in a press release. “For too long this has resulted in inaction by the zoo and consequently terrible animal suffering.” After years of pandemic restrictions due to COVID-19, tourists are coming back to Thailand, eager to lounge on beautiful beaches and see the country’s remarkable animals. But all is not well with those animals — elephants, tigers, primates, and many more. Without the money from tourists during times of travel restrictions imposed during the pandemic, some captive animals languished in appalling conditions. Even before COVID-19, animals used in tourist attractions, zoos and as pets were often mistreated and abused. Edwin Wiek is the founder of Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand (WFFT), an NGO working to rescue and rehabilitate animals caught in this trade. Few of those animals will ever be able to live in the wild, according to Wiek, who gave the example of a captive gibbon, a small ape found in Southern Asia, that has been used in the tourism and pet industries, including in Thai bars and&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2022/10/thai-zoos-come-under-scrutiny-again-as-tourism-rebounds-from-covid-19/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-261287</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Study highlights elusive Cameroonian gorillas, and the threats encircling them</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2022/08/study-highlights-elusive-cameroonian-gorillas-and-the-threats-encircling-them/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2022/08/study-highlights-elusive-cameroonian-gorillas-and-the-threats-encircling-them/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>10 Aug 2022 14:36:41 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Ryan Truscott]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Isabel Esterman]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[africa]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2022/08/10141523/Footage-of-a-male-and-a-baby-gorilla-in-the-ebo-forest-%C2%A9-EFRP_SDZWA-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=259021</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Great Apes]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, Cameroon, and West Africa]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Apes, Biodiversity, Charismatic Animals, Conservation, Endangered Species, Forests, Gorillas, Great Apes, Mammals, Primates, Protected Areas, Research, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Gunshots, grassland and a tiny population of critically endangered gorillas coexisting with nearby human populations in southwestern Cameroon: a new study analyzes a complex set of factors to help understand how to continue conserving the gorillas of Ebo Forest for future generations. The last time the Ebo gorillas were counted in 2010, there were estimated [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Gunshots, grassland and a tiny population of critically endangered gorillas coexisting with nearby human populations in southwestern Cameroon: a new study analyzes a complex set of factors to help understand how to continue conserving the gorillas of Ebo Forest for future generations. The last time the Ebo gorillas were counted in 2010, there were estimated to be just 25 of them. Some researchers think they could even represent a third subspecies of western gorilla, of which two others — the western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) and the Cross River gorilla (Gorilla gorilla diehli) — are found elsewhere in Cameroon. The Ebo gorilla&#8217;s forest home is under threat from hunting, the bushmeat trade, and habitat loss. A key finding of this study is that these gorillas stick to a relatively small 2,200-hectare (5,400-acre) area within the 200,000-hectare (490,000-acre) Ebo Forest. The study also found that within that 2,200-hectare patch, which contains a rich diversity of mature and secondary forest and swamp, the gorillas mostly use small grassland areas. That was initially surprising to lead researcher Daniel Mfossa. Daniel Mfossa, lead researcher of the study, in the field arranging plant samples for identification. Image © EFRP/SDZWA. “I would have thought mature forest that has high coverage with fruit trees and other plants the gorillas feed on would be used proportionately more,” he told Mongabay. But the preference makes sense, he added. Grassland patches, sometimes caused by falling trees or branches, are rich in plants from the arrowroot (Marantaceae) and ginger (Zingiberaceae)&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2022/08/study-highlights-elusive-cameroonian-gorillas-and-the-threats-encircling-them/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2022/08/study-highlights-elusive-cameroonian-gorillas-and-the-threats-encircling-them/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-259021</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Road projects threaten integrity of Uganda’s mountain gorilla stronghold</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2022/04/road-projects-threaten-integrity-of-ugandas-mountain-gorilla-stronghold/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2022/04/road-projects-threaten-integrity-of-ugandas-mountain-gorilla-stronghold/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>20 Apr 2022 15:09:53 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Malavika Vyawahare]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Terna Gyuse]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[africa]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2022/04/20143856/gorillas-in-Bwindi-Impenetrable-National-Park-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=254942</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, East Africa, and Uganda]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Conflict, Conservation, Deforestation, Development, Endangered Species, Environment, Forests, Gorillas, Great Apes, Infrastructure, Land Conflict, Mongabay Data Studio, Montane Forests, Protected Areas, Roads, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is a sanctuary for half of the world’s remaining population of endangered mountain gorillas, alongside forest elephants and many other species. But two road projects are exposing fault lines between the park&#8217;s conservation mission and the needs of residents living nearby. The Ministry of Works and Transport is finalizing designs [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is a sanctuary for half of the world’s remaining population of endangered mountain gorillas, alongside forest elephants and many other species. But two road projects are exposing fault lines between the park&#8217;s conservation mission and the needs of residents living nearby. The Ministry of Works and Transport is finalizing designs for a new road that will cut through the park&#8217;s western edge. The ministry also plans to pave the Ruhija road, an existing path crossing the park’s eastern flank which becomes virtually unpassable during the rainy season. Most conservationists don’t dispute the need for better roads in the region, but say they’re concerned about the impact on the park’s wildlife. They warn the roads could deny wildlife access to chunks of habitat and deepen the human footprint over a wider area. “From a development angle, it’s such a small area, yet from a conservation perspective, it is huge,” Brian Atuheire, executive director of the NGO AIFE-Uganda, told Mongabay. “Implementing the road project could endanger the gorillas and destroy the gains made in their conservation.” Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is a sanctuary for half of the world’s remaining population of endangered mountain gorillas, alongside forest elephants and many other species. Image by Brian Harries via Flickr (CC BY 2.0). A hitherto impenetrable park Bwindi, spanning 321 square kilometers (125 square miles), lies in the southwest corner of Uganda, hugging the country’s border with the Democratic Republic of Congo. There is also a designated nature reserve&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2022/04/road-projects-threaten-integrity-of-ugandas-mountain-gorilla-stronghold/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-254942</doi>				</item>
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