Good-News Alert: Gorilla Paradise Discovered

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Posted on Aug 6, 2008

Wiki Commons

While National Geographic may be the best magazine educating Americans about the horrors of the modern world, the organization also makes a point of highlighting positive earth news when it happens, such as the discovery that Congo may hold an additional 125,000 western lowland gorillas, which would double the known population of the critically endangered beast.

National Geographic:

Western lowland gorillas are a subspecies classified as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Their numbers have been devastated in recent years by illegal hunting for bush meat and the spread of the Ebola virus. Just last year scientists projected the animals’ population could fall as low as 50,000 by 2011.

Now those predictions may have to be dramatically reworked to incorporate findings released today [Thursday] by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).

A first ever ape census in northern Congo found 73,000 of the gorillas in that country’s Ntokou-Pikounda region and 52,000 more in the Ndoki-Likouala area.

Read more

TAGS: apes congo ebola environment good news gorillas national geographic wildlife

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By cyrena, August 7, 2008 at 8:27 pm #

Shenonymous,

Thanks for this info on the Gorillas. I’m really fond of them myself. Sounds like the creation of the vaccine is or should be first on the agenda, and then…to get them all vaccinated. (That part scares me a bit, even though I know how susceptible they are).

I once had the pleasure of taking care of a much smaller version. A chimpanzee, under the general care of the psychology lab here. That was over 30 years ago of course, and I still think about her. Her name was Elizabeth, and she really did keep me on my toes, just minding her behavior. Or, maybe we ‘minded’ each other’s behavior, in which case neither of us did a very good job. But, we had a lot of fun. So, maybe we did do a good job.

Thanks for the link.

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By Shenonymous, August 7, 2008 at 6:52 pm #

As a long time Gorilla Girl, I am ecstatic our brethern have been found to be more populous than we thought.  However, they have to be protected for several reasons as they are hunted for meat to feed the warring armies in the Congo, Ruwanda, and Uganda, and a whole family of gorillas was murdered recently as a reprisal for the stopping of poachers to harvesting old growth trees to make hardwood charcoal, the are often killed in order to obtain young gorillas for sale on the illegal market, and sometimes for no reasons other than it was something to shoot at!  If you are really interested in the fate and state of the gorillas, visit the follwing website:
http://gorilla.wildlifedirect.org/

Gorillas are regularly killed,  For some facts and statistics see:
http://www.africanews.com/site/list_messages/11801

Also they are highly susceptible to the ebola virus which killed over 5,500 of the gorillas in the last few years.  It will take about 2 million dollars to develop a vaccine and another 5 million dollars to systematically vaccinate the gorillas.  People get the horrible ebola virus from eating the infected meat of gorillas and monkeys.

How to protect these wonderful animals is to afford more honest park rangers and wardens.

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By freaks!, August 7, 2008 at 4:33 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

Chill the heck out. Part of the reason these animals are endangered is because EBOLA (remember that cutie?) is rampant in their species. Visitors will be unlikely.

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By Purple Girl, August 7, 2008 at 2:04 pm #

Damn they find a place to hide & Thrive and some well meaning environmentals lets the cat out of the bag.do they need to tell the world?
Granted being able to substaniate the new count is important, but must they advertise!
Sorry a not just a bit of a skeptic ,but also a pessimist about why some people who be pleased to here the ‘non endangered’ Hunt call
If the claim is valid I am very happy to hear they have found safety, now let’s be sure to keep it that way.

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By cyrena, August 7, 2008 at 1:37 pm #

Well, Hippie Pam and a few others beat me to it. I was about to ponder on how THEY feel about being ‘discovered’ and ‘counted’.

We all know what happens when white people get into their ‘discovery’ mode.

The gorillas are probably sitting there thinking…Shit..now whadda we do? It was better when they thought we were ‘extinct’.

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By optipessi mist, August 7, 2008 at 1:22 pm #

“Beast” is such an ugly word, shall we say “creature” and be politically correct.  As in, “one of God’s creatures”.  Our lack of respect for the simian species is appalling. 
Just as we are insentitive with other members of the human species, true to our ignoble side we sometimes disparage animals with our words. 

If we ever grow out of our ignorance and wreckless behaviour we may see.  All of this technological wonder from the smallest particle to the entire universe and beyond is not our personal patented invention.  Until we understand it alot better we should proceed with the utmost caution. 

Maybe we should include gorillas in the same international programs that exists for the lost human tribes of the Amazon and elsewhere on this planet.  That would be an effective initiative to afford the gorillas the same deference that we accord primitive humans.  It would be a giant initial step in the enlightened direction.

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By hippy pam, August 7, 2008 at 8:52 am #

It was so MUCH BETTER for them when their “little corner of the world” was still undiscovered…Now that they have been “outed” and are visible-WE[humans] WILL MAKE SURE-for whatever reasons-to take their space from them…..cuz that is what we do….cuz it is our right…and we need that place..and the crops that place will grow…and the meat from those creatures…UNLESS WE MOVE THEM…IN TO A SAFE[zoo] AREA-that we choose-and take EVERY FREEDOM from them…[we really need a good PLAGUE that wipes out 75-90% of humankind-I bet “the Creatures” would make a NICE SAFE COME BACK]and we could not interfere-CUZ THAT IS WHAT WE DO….

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By Fathoms, August 7, 2008 at 3:41 am #

We’ve found them, and in finding them we’ll doubtless feel a pressing need to ‘liberate’ them.  Stand by for a full frontal invasion and a massive incarceration and relocation program; for their own good of course.  It’s too bad we’ve found them.  They were better off undiscovered.  Now, they’re screwed.

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By GW=MCHammered, August 7, 2008 at 2:26 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

What an incredible loss it would be to lose these magnificent DNA cousins. They’ve survived so much. Minus cheer leading media, the wonders of modern medicine, the food production machine, fossil fuel transportation, Wall Street, Wal-Mart, and energy yield. Some would say, divine.

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By QuyTran, August 6, 2008 at 9:23 pm #

Vote for this buddy was much better than voted for Bush/Cheney ! These two are classified far below this guy.

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By Double U, August 6, 2008 at 7:24 pm #

That rascal has my vote!

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