mountain gorillas

17 Stories

Mountain Gorillas of Rwanda Now Draw Big Bucks

From tourists who can afford $1.5K to spend an hour near them

(Newser) - The "gorillas in the mist" as Dian Fossey famously called them are doing far better now than when the world was introduced to them. CBS News checks in on the mountain gorillas of Rwanda, which numbered 254 when Fossey arrived in the country in 1967. There are now more...

6 Rangers Killed in Gorilla Park Ambush

A dozen of their colleagues were massacred in April

(Newser) - The mountain gorillas of Virunga National Park in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo are endangered, as are the rangers tasked with protecting them. At least six rangers were killed in an ambush Sunday, less than nine months after a dozen rangers and five civilians were massacred, the New York ...

Poacher Gets 11 Years for Killing Rare Gorilla
'Rafiki Has Received Justice'
Jul 30, 2020 10:14 AM CDT

'Rafiki Has Received Justice'

Ugandan poacher sentenced to 11 years

(Newser) - There are only around 1,000 or so mountain gorillas left on the planet—and that number went down by one last month when a poacher in Uganda killed Rafiki , a silverback popular with tourists. The poacher, Felix Byamukama, had been part a group hunting illegally for bush meat in...

'Extremely Exciting' Photos Emerge of Rare Great Apes

Cross River gorillas photographed with babies in Nigeria

(Newser) - You're not likely to see a Cross River gorilla in person, but you can see a whole troop in a series of rare photos. Cross River gorillas are the most endangered subspecies of ape, with only 300 known to live in the wild, reports the BBC . The gorillas—which...

Lightning Strikes Rare Mountain Gorillas

4 dead in Uganda in 'big loss for species'

(Newser) - There are about 1,000 mountain gorillas left on planet Earth, and there are four fewer after a lightning strike felled the rare creatures in Uganda, reports the BBC . The three adult females, including a pregnant female, and infant male were discovered in Mgahinga National Park with "gross lesions"...

The 'Gorillas in the Mist' May Be No More

Last of the gorillas observed by Dian Fossey believed dead

(Newser) - The last of the original "gorillas in the mist," a troupe observed by primatologist Dian Fossey before her death in Rwanda more than 30 years ago, is believed to have died. Though the mountain gorilla population numbered 600 in 2016, up from some 240 in 1967, per CNN...

Park Ranger Explains This Selfie
Park Ranger
Explains This Selfie
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Apr 28, 2019 2:00 PM CDT

Park Ranger Explains This Selfie

Orphaned gorillas like to mimic humans, he says

(Newser) - A park ranger in Congo has described how he captured a selfie with two gorillas that went viral. Mathieu Shamavu, a ranger at Virunga National Park in eastern Congo, says he was checking his phone when he noticed two female orphaned gorillas, Ndakazi and Ndeze, mimicking his movements, so he...

After Bloody Months, Africa's Oldest National Park Is Closed

Virunga national park needs to implement 'much more robust' safety measures

(Newser) - Park ranger may not be a deadly occupation in America; the same can't be said for the Democratic Republic of Congo. After the deaths of at least a dozen rangers in the country's Virunga national park over a span of just 10 months, the park will be closed...

DiCaprio, Netflix Team Up on Gorilla Documentary

Leo is executive producer of 'Virunga'

(Newser) - Netflix's latest celebrity collaborator is Leonardo DiCaprio, reports CNN . But instead of starring in something a la Kevin Spacey in House of Cards, DiCaprio is serving as executive producer of a documentary on endangered mountain gorillas in Africa. The film, called Virunga after the park in eastern Congo where...

African Gorillas' Habitat Quickly Disappearing

Continent-wide survey finds huge losses since 1990s

(Newser) - The first-ever continent-wide survey of gorillas in Africa finds that their habitats have been shrinking at a disturbingly fast clip since the 1990s, reports the BBC . Eastern gorillas, for example, have the distinction of being the largest living primate, but they've lost 52% of their habitat over that span....

Imperiled African Gorilla Population Surges 26%

Efforts to decrease poaching and disease have helped

(Newser) - Finally, some good news for an endangered species: The mountain gorilla population in central Africa has swelled since 2003. The Virunga Massif, made up of three national parks, had only 380 gorillas seven years ago and is now up to 480. "This is a spectacular upsurge," says a...

'Charity App' Helps Gorillas
 'Charity App' Helps Gorillas 
May 18, 2010 2:06 AM CDT

'Charity App' Helps Gorillas

iGorilla lets users track Congo animals

(Newser) - A new application for iPhones and iPads lets users use their gadgets to help save Congo's critically endangered population of mountain gorillas. The iGorilla app makes it possible for users to follow gorilla families around remote areas of the war-torn country with updates from the rangers at Virunga National Park,...

Mountain Gorillas Take Fight to Survive Online

Ugandan animals' advocates embrace social networking

(Newser) - Not only can your online buddies be any age and in any location, they don't even have to be your species. Tech-savvy advocates of the endangered mountain gorilla are about to launch an umbrella site, friendagorilla.org, that will feature videos, social networking, and blogs—by park rangers, not gorillas....

Amid Congo's Violence, a Gorilla 'Baby Boom'

Population of tame gorillas up 12.5%

(Newser) - The Democratic Republic of Congo has seen unspeakable violence, but one population has managed to thrive: the endangered mountain gorillas in Virunga National Park. The population of gorillas considered tame grew to 81 from 72 over the past year, Bloomberg reports. The gorilla population has boomed even as rangers entrusted...

Congo Militia Kills Gorilla Protector

Rangers fought off rebels for hours

(Newser) - Rebels have killed a ranger stationed in a Congo national park to protect endangered gorillas from the surrounding civil unrest, CNN reports. Safari Kakule was one of seven men attacked. Another ranger was injured and a rebel captured in fighting that lasted for hours. It's unclear why the militia attacked...

Congo's Gorillas Victims in War Over Charcoal

Corruption, poverty, unrest combine for conservationists' nightmare

(Newser) - Who murdered seven mountain gorillas in the Congo last year? Perhaps, National Geographic finds, the question should be how any of the magnificent apes stay alive at all. A three-way military standoff—a holdover from neighboring Rwanda’s haunted past—enveloping Virunga National Park has left gorillas, people, and the...

Nations Unite to Save Gorillas
Nations Unite to Save Gorillas
Feb 25, 2008 5:00 AM CST

Nations Unite to Save Gorillas

10-year effort is the first to help dying species

(Newser) - Three African nations where the world's last 720 wild mountain gorillas live are finally working together to save the critically endangered animal, the Guardian reports. Until the 10-year plan was announced last week, mistrust and conflict had kept Rwanda, Uganda and the Congo from collaborating as another 10 apes were...

17 Stories