The new census tallied more than 125,000 western lowland gorillas in two adjacent areas in the northern part of the country, covering an area of 18,000 square miles (47,000 square kilometers)...
The new census was the result of intensive field work carried out by the Bronx Zoo-based Wildlife Conservation Society and the Government of Republic of Congo, where researchers combed rain forests and isolated swamps to count gorilla "nests" to accurately estimate the population...
WCS says a combination of factors led to such high numbers of gorillas including: successful long-term conservation management of the Republic of Congo's protected areas; remoteness and inaccessibility of some of the key locations where the gorillas were found; and a food-rich habitat, particularly in some of the swamp forests and the herb-rich "Marantaceae" forests...
We are awarding an "instant" Dalai Lama Dude! Award to the lowland gorillas!!!
