New population of gorillas discovered in Cameroon

...but they need protection, says WCS

April 2011: A previously unknown,  dense and healthy population of western lowland gorillas has been found in Cameroon.

GOOD NEWS: The discovery of western lowland gorillas has delighted conservationists

The new census by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) reveals the gorillas in Deng Deng National Park - and an adjacent logging concession. But while the discovery of the gorilla population is great news, the report also warns that gorillas need to be protected in both areas if the group is to remain viable.

3-500 gorillas
The census estimated a total of between 300 and 500 gorillas in Deng Deng and the logging concession, with about half living in the park. According to the report, gorillas move freely between the park and logging area. However, a road separates the two areas leaving gorillas vulnerable to poachers.

A possible future site for tourism
‘Protecting this gorilla population, and guaranteeing its future, requires protecting the gorillas in the logging concession as well as in the park,' said James Deutsch, WCS Director for Africa Programmes.

The results of the census came from counts of ape nests along line transects, a standard method for estimating great ape populations. The density of gorillas found in Deng Deng is about the same as Gabon's Lopé National Park and Congo's Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park, both well-known ape conservation sites in Central Africa.

Created in 2010, Deng Deng National Park supports the northernmost population of western lowland gorillas and is physically isolated from potential Ebola epidemics that have affected other great ape populations in Central Africa. Chimpanzees, forest elephants, buffaloes, and bongo also occur in the protected area, though poaching and illegal logging have impacted local wildlife numbers.

Roger Fotso, director of WCS's Cameroon programme, said: ‘For a small area, this is an extremely important site for gorilla conservation. It is also important because this is the northern-most population of western lowland gorillas, and because it is accessible to the capital Yaoundé and so a possible future site for tourism.'