New population of western lowland gorillas discovered

A survey of vast tracts of forest and swamp wilderness in Congo has revealed a population of more than 125,000 western lowland gorillas, an encouraging sign for the subspecies, which was listed as critically endangered earlier this year after its population was ravaged by hunting and outbreaks of the Ebola virus. The Wildlife Conservation Society’s survey findings were to be presented today at a meeting of the International Primatological Society in Edinburgh, Scotland. The government of Congo Republic has designated one of the studied regions as a national park, but conservation groups warn the government has insufficient funds for protecting the park, especially as the threat of illegal logging looms as demand for tropical hardwood grows.... ‘Separately, a report released today finds that 48 percent of the world’s primates -- a group of humankind’s closest relatives that includes chimpanzees, orangutans, gibbons and lemurs -- face extinction.