Latest news with #gorillas
CBS News
4 days ago
- General
- CBS News
Dallas Zoo planning farewell party for western lowland gorillas expected to leave this fall
The Dallas Zoo is gearing up to say goodbye to its four western lowland gorillas. Sometime this fall, Shana, Zola, Juba and B'Wenzi will be moving to another zoo. The relocation is a recommendation from the Gorilla Species Survival Plan (SSP), a collaborative program that works across accredited zoos to ensure the long-term sustainability of this critically endangered species. The zoo said in a Facebook post, "The SSP takes into account many factors, including age, personality, and social dynamics, to create groupings that are best for the individual animals and the broader population. This next chapter will give our boys a new social setting and environment that supports their continued growth and well-being." The zoo says they will miss the gorillas around the habitat and that they will be throwing a "Texas-sized" farewell party for the gorillas soon. The zoo also expressed it's interest in welcoming new gorillas into the zoo space and that they will share more information on those moves as they become available.
CBC
02-07-2025
- General
- CBC
Calgary Zoo adds 5th female gorilla to troop
The female population of western lowland gorillas at the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo just grew by one, with the addition of 24-year-old Johari, who arrived from Toronto last Friday. The transfer is months in the planning stages and there's lots of reciprocity. "We spent some time getting to know her," animal care director Colleen Baird told reporters Wednesday. "We sent a caregiver of ours over to Toronto to start to get to know her there. We also have a Toronto caregiver here so we can transition and get to know her even better." Zoos and conservation facilities around the world are working together. "It's really exciting. We work through a very long-term plan with our gorilla genetics and our troop in general, population globally," she explained. "This has been in the works for some time. We are always looking at what the troop dynamic looks like over time." Including Johari, the zoo now has a troop of five females and two males, including silverback Jasiri. "They will hopefully have some offspring as well as other troops in our collection," Baird said. That's important because the global population faces huge challenges. "They are critically endangered," she added. "We have them here so we can talk about what's going on globally out there and how they all tie together." Johari is a bit older than a lot of gorilla mothers and she hasn't had any offspring so far, but experts are excited about a possible connection with Jasiri. "We were able to say, we are ready for her. Let's bring her in. Jasiri is a great match so let's bring them together to have that offspring and give her the ability to have an offspring, which she hasn't had yet." Having a child can change a female's status in the troop. "Sometimes they don't conceive right away, sometimes the genetic match just isn't there," Baird said. "She is at a point in her life where we are ready to do it. She's healthy, there should be no reason why she can't be successful." Johari arrived in Calgary on June 27, so the next two weeks will be about looking for the best time to introduce her. As part of the genetic diversity program, any offspring would likely be sent to another facility.
BBC News
28-06-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
The Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda sign a peace deal
For nearly 30 years a country in central Africa, called the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has been affected by serious fighting and war. This has made life very hard for millions of people, including children who have had to leave their homes or stop going to school and many lives have been lost. Recently, some of this fighting has involved a neighbouring country called now, there are hopes for peace. What is the Democratic Republic of Congo like? Democratic Republic of Congo is a huge country - about ten times bigger than the UK, with a population of over 100 million people. The country has many rivers and waterfalls, including the Congo River, which is very important for travel and DRC is also full of amazing wildlife and nature, including the Congo Basin, the world's second largest rainforest. It's home to mountain gorillas, elephants, and many animals and birds that don't exist anywhere else on rainforest is often called 'the lungs of Africa', because of the oxygen the trees release into the air. The country is also known for rare materials, which are mined and often used in technology such as mobile phones. What is Rwanda like? Rwanda is a small country in central Africa, right next to the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is much smaller than DR Congo - about the size of Wales - and has around 14 million people living is often called the 'Land of a Thousand Hills' because it has many green, rolling hills and beautiful mountains. The country is famous for its mountain gorillas, which live in the forests along the border with DR Congo and Uganda. Many people visit Rwanda to see these amazing animals in the has had a difficult past with lots of fighting and violence, but in recent years the country has worked to rebuild and to become safer for the people living there. Why has there been fighting between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo? DR Congo and Rwanda have had problems for many eastern DR Congo, a rebel group called M23 has been fighting the country's government. DR Congo says that Rwanda is helping this group by giving them weapons and support, but Rwanda says this is not true. The rare materials found in the DRC are also a source of fighting. The country has rich natural resources, such as diamonds, gold, copper, coltan and cobalt (which is mined for use in batteries for things like phones and electric cars). These materials are valuable and different groups want to control these resources. Efforts to find peace The deal to achieve peace is being helped by two other countries, the United States and United States wants to invest money in the area because of the valuable minerals. In return, it hopes the countries will work together to keep the region safe and peaceful, after many years of fighting over resources there.A peace deal is a very important step, and although there are still many questions about how it will work, it is the first sign of hope for many years. What happens now? Now, the two countries have signed a peace deal, an agreement which people hope could help to stop the fighting and help people live safely again. The deal was signed in Washington in the US. After the signing, President Donald Trump called the peace treaty "a glorious triumph"
CNN
29-05-2025
- General
- CNN
Gorillas once caught by wildlife traffickers are set free in historic reintroduction
Last October, four female eastern lowland gorillas were airlifted from their home in Kasuhgo, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and released 40 miles (64 kilometers) northeast in Virunga National Park. Less than a year later, they have all successfully integrated into a group of wild gorillas, in what is being hailed as the largest translocation of the subspecies ever. Conservationists hope that its success will not only prevent the local extinction of an isolated population, but provide essential knowledge needed to protect the critically endangered apes in the future. The females – named Isangi, Lulingu, Mapendo and Ndjingala, and aged between 10 and 21 years old – were rescued from the illegal wildlife trade as babies and taken to the Gorilla Rehabilitation and Conservation Education Center (GRACE) where they were rehabilitated over a long period of time, learning to forage and socialize as they would in the wild. Deemed ready for release, last fall they were flown to Mount Tshiaberimu – or 'Mountain of the Spirits' – a 1,700-meter (5,577-foot) peak in the northern region of the national park, where they were kept in a fenced enclosure before being released into the wild. The gorilla monitoring team, who expected the transition to take anywhere between several months to several years, were astounded when, in less than two months, they appeared ready to leave the enclosure. 'It happened much quicker than we all anticipated,' says Katie Fawcett, executive and science director for GRACE Gorillas, the NGO leading the rewilding process alongside Virunga National Park and local communities. This was partly down to the allure of a handsome wild silverback called Mwasa, who approached the fence of the enclosure day after day, beating his arms on the ground and grunting to catch the females' attention. It worked: they responded to his calls and even chose to abandon their indoor dens to sleep closer to him along the fence line. Watching on carefully, the monitoring team decided that it was the natural time to let the females join him. 'We really pride ourselves on every decision being gorilla led,' Fawcett tells CNN. 'After three days of attention directed at the magnificent Mwasa … the decision was made: 'let's go for it.' The fence was cut so they could come out.' Since then, to the team's surprise and delight, the four females have quickly settled into life in the wild, adjusting to the colder climate on the mountain's steep hills and a new diet of bamboo shoots and other native plants. Related article Meet the conservationist saving gorillas in Uganda's 'impenetrable forest' While rangers continue to monitor the gorillas' health, collecting non-invasive biological samples and conducting visual assessments, so far the gorillas have shown no clinical signs of stress – in fact, they are looking 'amazing,' says Fawcett, with thick, shiny coats and full bellies. The biggest excitement came in the new year, when Mwasa was spotted mating with Ndjingala, a 16-year-old female, for the first time. Since then, the other three have also been seen mating with him, according to Fawcett. As gorillas have a similar gestation period to humans, the team are eagerly counting down the days to September, but she says they are cautiously optimistic: 'It's probably going to take some time as the female gorillas were on contraception while they were in the sanctuary at GRACE.' A birth would be a huge ray of hope for the whole species. The eastern lowland gorilla, or Grauer's gorilla, is found in the lowland tropical rainforest of eastern DRC and is the largest of the four gorilla subspecies – all of which are endangered. While there have been successful translocations of western lowland gorillas in the past, eastern gorilla releases have had a very poor survival rate, with individuals dying or disappearing within weeks of release, or being so young that they have been unable to survive without a lactating mother. 'What's different about this reintroduction project is not only that it is the largest and we're putting in four females into this group, but also that the decision was made early on not to just throw a baby back into the group, but to rehabilitate it over a long period of time and make sure the gorilla has the social skills and critical survival skills,' says Fawcett. '(We were) trying to mimic that natural behavior of having adult females join a wild group.' The project was also intended to provide a critical genetic boost to the small and isolated population of eight gorillas living on Mount Tshiaberimu. Previous scientific modelling found this population to be non-viable, with some estimating that it would go extinct between 20 and 50 years, unless new females were introduced. 'The tiny gorilla population was doomed but could now be saved by this intervention,' Liz Williamson, a professor at the University of Stirling in the UK specializing in the conservation, ecology and behavior of gorillas, who was not part of the project, said in an email. She added that the situation facing Grauer's gorillas across eastern DRC is 'dire,' but the translocation could bring multiple conservation benefits. Related article Rhinos went extinct in Uganda 40 years ago. Now, a private ranch is home to almost 50 Emmanuel de Merode, director of Virunga National Park and a Belgian prince, commended the initiative in a press release: 'This is a huge milestone in efforts to bolster the eastern lowland gorilla population and we are delighted that the gorillas are successfully adapting to the wild.' However, there are huge challenges working within Virunga National Park, which has been the center of armed conflict for decades. Over 200 rangers have been killed in the park since it was created in 1925, and the recent resurgence of the M23 rebel group has escalated matters, with attacks on rangers becoming increasingly common. Mount Tshiaberimu is located within the troubled region. 'Working in this area is not easy,' says Jackson Kabuyaya Mbeke, DRC director for GRACE Gorillas. 'The main thing strategically is to put the community in the middle of everything we do: we recruit caregivers, we recruit educators who are trained at GRACE … and they feel that responsibility of taking care of wildlife.' Brought up in the area himself, he recalls when gorillas were widespread and as a child, he would listen to them calling or beating their chests. 'We grew up in the same habitat, sharing the same resource,' he says. 'Gorillas are our identity, our totem, they are an important source of pride in this area.' Related article The world's smallest elephants are facing extinction. One woman has a plan to save them Yet, as human populations grow, pressures on gorilla habitat are inevitable, with forest being cleared for agriculture and firewood. During times of conflict, with communities in extreme need, these threats are heightened as some resort to hunting gorillas for their meat. The reintroduction is a huge breakthrough, but it is only the start. 'The real key for gorilla conservation success in this region is forest protection,' says Fawcett. 'We're super excited by this result and how it can help to inform these critically endangered populations, but we need to stop populations reaching that point.'
CNN
29-05-2025
- General
- CNN
Gorillas once caught by wildlife traffickers are set free in historic reintroduction
Last October, four female eastern lowland gorillas were airlifted from their home in Kasuhgo, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and released 40 miles (64 kilometers) northeast in Virunga National Park. Less than a year later, they have all successfully integrated into a group of wild gorillas, in what is being hailed as the largest translocation of the subspecies ever. Conservationists hope that its success will not only prevent the local extinction of an isolated population, but provide essential knowledge needed to protect the critically endangered apes in the future. The females – named Isangi, Lulingu, Mapendo and Ndjingala, and aged between 10 and 21 years old – were rescued from the illegal wildlife trade as babies and taken to the Gorilla Rehabilitation and Conservation Education Center (GRACE) where they were rehabilitated over a long period of time, learning to forage and socialize as they would in the wild. Deemed ready for release, last fall they were flown to Mount Tshiaberimu – or 'Mountain of the Spirits' – a 1,700-meter (5,577-foot) peak in the northern region of the national park, where they were kept in a fenced enclosure before being released into the wild. The gorilla monitoring team, who expected the transition to take anywhere between several months to several years, were astounded when, in less than two months, they appeared ready to leave the enclosure. 'It happened much quicker than we all anticipated,' says Katie Fawcett, executive and science director for GRACE Gorillas, the NGO leading the rewilding process alongside Virunga National Park and local communities. This was partly down to the allure of a handsome wild silverback called Mwasa, who approached the fence of the enclosure day after day, beating his arms on the ground and grunting to catch the females' attention. It worked: they responded to his calls and even chose to abandon their indoor dens to sleep closer to him along the fence line. Watching on carefully, the monitoring team decided that it was the natural time to let the females join him. 'We really pride ourselves on every decision being gorilla led,' Fawcett tells CNN. 'After three days of attention directed at the magnificent Mwasa … the decision was made: 'let's go for it.' The fence was cut so they could come out.' Since then, to the team's surprise and delight, the four females have quickly settled into life in the wild, adjusting to the colder climate on the mountain's steep hills and a new diet of bamboo shoots and other native plants. Related article Meet the conservationist saving gorillas in Uganda's 'impenetrable forest' While rangers continue to monitor the gorillas' health, collecting non-invasive biological samples and conducting visual assessments, so far the gorillas have shown no clinical signs of stress – in fact, they are looking 'amazing,' says Fawcett, with thick, shiny coats and full bellies. The biggest excitement came in the new year, when Mwasa was spotted mating with Ndjingala, a 16-year-old female, for the first time. Since then, the other three have also been seen mating with him, according to Fawcett. As gorillas have a similar gestation period to humans, the team are eagerly counting down the days to September, but she says they are cautiously optimistic: 'It's probably going to take some time as the female gorillas were on contraception while they were in the sanctuary at GRACE.' A birth would be a huge ray of hope for the whole species. The eastern lowland gorilla, or Grauer's gorilla, is found in the lowland tropical rainforest of eastern DRC and is the largest of the four gorilla subspecies – all of which are endangered. While there have been successful translocations of western lowland gorillas in the past, eastern gorilla releases have had a very poor survival rate, with individuals dying or disappearing within weeks of release, or being so young that they have been unable to survive without a lactating mother. 'What's different about this reintroduction project is not only that it is the largest and we're putting in four females into this group, but also that the decision was made early on not to just throw a baby back into the group, but to rehabilitate it over a long period of time and make sure the gorilla has the social skills and critical survival skills,' says Fawcett. '(We were) trying to mimic that natural behavior of having adult females join a wild group.' The project was also intended to provide a critical genetic boost to the small and isolated population of eight gorillas living on Mount Tshiaberimu. Previous scientific modelling found this population to be non-viable, with some estimating that it would go extinct between 20 and 50 years, unless new females were introduced. 'The tiny gorilla population was doomed but could now be saved by this intervention,' Liz Williamson, a professor at the University of Stirling in the UK specializing in the conservation, ecology and behavior of gorillas, who was not part of the project, said in an email. She added that the situation facing Grauer's gorillas across eastern DRC is 'dire,' but the translocation could bring multiple conservation benefits. Related article Rhinos went extinct in Uganda 40 years ago. Now, a private ranch is home to almost 50 Emmanuel de Merode, director of Virunga National Park and a Belgian prince, commended the initiative in a press release: 'This is a huge milestone in efforts to bolster the eastern lowland gorilla population and we are delighted that the gorillas are successfully adapting to the wild.' However, there are huge challenges working within Virunga National Park, which has been the center of armed conflict for decades. Over 200 rangers have been killed in the park since it was created in 1925, and the recent resurgence of the M23 rebel group has escalated matters, with attacks on rangers becoming increasingly common. Mount Tshiaberimu is located within the troubled region. 'Working in this area is not easy,' says Jackson Kabuyaya Mbeke, DRC director for GRACE Gorillas. 'The main thing strategically is to put the community in the middle of everything we do: we recruit caregivers, we recruit educators who are trained at GRACE … and they feel that responsibility of taking care of wildlife.' Brought up in the area himself, he recalls when gorillas were widespread and as a child, he would listen to them calling or beating their chests. 'We grew up in the same habitat, sharing the same resource,' he says. 'Gorillas are our identity, our totem, they are an important source of pride in this area.' Related article The world's smallest elephants are facing extinction. One woman has a plan to save them Yet, as human populations grow, pressures on gorilla habitat are inevitable, with forest being cleared for agriculture and firewood. During times of conflict, with communities in extreme need, these threats are heightened as some resort to hunting gorillas for their meat. The reintroduction is a huge breakthrough, but it is only the start. 'The real key for gorilla conservation success in this region is forest protection,' says Fawcett. 'We're super excited by this result and how it can help to inform these critically endangered populations, but we need to stop populations reaching that point.'
