More than 125,000 western lowland gorillas have been discovered deep in the forests of the Republic of Congo, at least doubling their estimated population, primatologists said today.
For centuries the reclusive and endangered gorillas remained largely unrecorded, but a new census by the Wildlife Conservation Society, based at the Bronx Zoo in New York City, and the Republic of Congo, counted the newly discovered populations in two areas of the northern part of the country covering 47,000 sq km.
Previous estimates put the number of western lowland gorillas at less than 100,000. But those measures dated back to the 1980s and the gorilla's numbers were believed to have fallen by at least 50 percent since then due to hunting and disease, researchers said. The newly discovered gorilla population now puts their estimated numbers at between 175,000 to 225,000.
"This is a very significant discovery because of the terrible decline in population of these magnificent creatures to Ebola and bush meat," said Emma Stokes, one of the research team.
"It was an incredible moment when we realized the figures we were getting in. They had not been previously recorded because these are very remote areas that are quite inaccessible and logistically tough to survey."
Western lowland gorillas are one of four gorilla subspecies, which also include mountain gorillas, eastern lowland gorillas, and Cross River gorillas. All are labelled either endangered or critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, or IUCN.
The researchers worked out the population figures by identifying and counting the sleeping "nests" gorillas make. The creatures are too reclusive and shy to count individually.
Craig Stanford, professor of anthropology and biology at the University of Southern California, said he is aware of the new study.
"If these new census results are confirmed, they are incredibly important and exciting, the kind of good news we rarely find in the conservation of highly endangered animals."
He added that independent confirmation will be valuable because nest counts vary depending on the specific census method used.
While calling the discovery important, Stokes said it does not mean gorilla numbers in the wild are now safe.
"Far from being safe, the gorillas are still under threat from Ebola and hunting for bush meat. We must not become complacent about this. Ebola can wipe out thousands in a short period of time," she said.
The discovery was announced as primatologists in Edinburgh, Scotland warned that nearly half of the world's 634 types of primates are in danger of becoming extinct due to human activity. That figure, carried in a comprehensive review of the planet's apes, monkeys, and lemurs, included primate species and subspecies.
Scientists meeting at the International Primatological Society Congress in Edinburgh said they hoped the report will help spur global action to defend mankind's nearest relatives from deforestation and hunting.
Primatologists warned that species from the giant mountain gorillas of central Africa to the tiny mouse lemurs of Madagascar are on the "Red List" for threatened species maintained by the IUCN.
The review was funded by Conservation International, the Margot Marsh Biodiversity Foundation, Disney's Animal Kingdom and the IUCN. It is part of an examination of the state of the world's mammals due to be released at the 4th IUCN World Conservation Congress in Barcelona, Spain, in October.
"It is not too late for our close cousins the primates, and what we have now is a challenge to turn this around," said Russell A. Mittermeier, president of Conservation International and the chairman of the IUCN Species Survival Commission's primate specialist group.
"The review paints a bleak picture. Some primates are quite literally being eaten to extinction. But it is by no means a doomsday scenario. There is a lot of will here among these scientists in Edinburgh and in the countries where primates live."
