After years in which they were poached almost to extinction, the number of mountain gorillas in central Africa appears to be on the rise.
The first survey of the apes in 15 years showed that despite wars, poachers and human encroachment on their habitats, populations of mountain gorillas in a range of volcanos straddling the borders of Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo have grown from 324 in 1989 to 380.
Numbers are still critically low but wildlife officials are delighted by the results of the survey.
A series of conflicts in the region — chiefly civil war in the Democratic Republic and genocide in Rwanda — has made it impossible to count numbers since 1989.
”The mountain gorilla is a threatened species and the increase in their number is great news for us and good news for the world,” said Fidel Ruzigandekwe, of Rwanda’s National Parks and Tourism Authority.
The census was conducted late last year by wildlife officials who criss-crossed the region searching for the dung and trampled vegetation that mark a gorilla trail.
On finding a trail they followed it through the lush mountain jungles to find the nests of foliage that gorillas make to sleep in. The size of the group was estimated by counting nests and measuring dung size. – Guardian Unlimited Â