Good News for African wildlife: Scientists find "lost" gorilla population;doubles low land gorillas!

[HamdenRice]

Scientists recently completed a census of gorilla populations in a remote, swampy part of the Republic of the Congro.

They estimate that this region contains 125,000 western lowland gorillas -- more than what they had previously believed to have been the entire population of western lowland gorillas in Africa:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/scotland/article4467065.ece

http://features.csmonitor.com/environment/2008/08/06/conservationists-uncover-mother-lode-of-gorillas-in-africa/

Previously, it was thought that there were between 50,000 and 100,000 lowland gorillas left in the wild. The discovery of 125,000 previously unknown gorilla populations in an area the size of Switzerland previously unexplored by western scientists more than doubles that estimate.

What I find interesting about this is that just last year, a Sudanese graduate student completed a wildlife survey in a a similar swampy, remote area in central Africa -- in that case it was southern Sudan -- and discovered what may be the largest large animal migration in the world, previously unknown to science.

In that case, what the conservationists found astonished them: southern Sudan's wildlife was healthy -- so healthy that it may contain the largest animal migration on earth, larger even than the wildebeest migration of the Serengeti, which until this survey of the southern Sudan was considered the largest wildlife migration in the world:



While no one wants to get complacent, the good news is that there are vast genetic reserves in these remote places, and if we can halt the environmental destruction in Africa, we may be better able to save the last wild places than we had thought.

[Teaser]

1. rare good news

I have basically resigned myself to a world consisting entirely of humans, cockroaches, and feral cats. So this is a pick-me-up.

[HamdenRice]

2. Africa would change your pessimism

You can drive 15 minutes north of Johannesburg-Pretoria corridor, and see baboons running across the road -- and that's in the most densely urbanized area of Africa.

There's still hope there and it is quite perplexing that they still have such large game populations living with people.

These recent discoveries, though, are of wilder than usual areas with really fantastic amounts of wildlife.

[Book Lover]

3. I haev to say

I think they should have kept quiet about this.

[The Stranger]

4. Can we hide them and all news of them? Make it a restricted area from any human activity?

We are not to be trusted with this planet any longer.

[HamdenRice]

5. That's the key -- to make a park

But generally African countries have been very good at creating vast wildlife parks; just not very good at policing them for poachers.

I really think the international community should take over financing of the game parks in Africa's poorer countries, because they are a benefit to all mankind, not just to the poorest countries on earth.

[arcadian]

6. Great news

It's good to know there are still undiscovered areas of the world.

[HamdenRice]

7. "undiscovered" -- a scientist on CNN was careful to point out last night

that the local people were probably aware of this area, so it was "discovered" by western science but not "discovered."

It seems that it was, however, quite inaccessible even to citizens of Congo because it is swampy and lacks roads.

The key to preservation now is not building roads into the area.

[arcadian]

9. Yeah, I meant "undiscovered" in a general sense.

NASA probably has sat photos of the area, who knows? But at least it hasn't turned into a eco-tour, safari destinion, that's what I meant by "undiscovered". Reminds me of the Nat. Geo. series they did on the Ndoki area, don't remember if itwas C.A.R., Cameroon or Gabon, anyway, it seemed like eden.

[HamdenRice]

11. I think we all mean "unexplored"

and my guess is that given its swampy geography, it probably is "unexplored" even by the local people.

It's really hard to get around in a swampy area.

[whistler162]

8. I can hear it now...

Joe Young - OH GREAT!!!!! Myrtle they figured out where we live.

Mrytle Young - Well there goes the neighborhood!

[malaise]

10. They're running from humans

Wish I could join them

[TexasObserver]

12. This is my feel good story of the week!

Thank God for small favors. What a great thing for the world.