Uganda has a New Census for Mountain Gorillas
12/8/97
*******************************
RELAYED TEXT STARTS HERE:
Headline: Uganda has a New Census for Mountain Gorillas
Source: Wildlife Conservation Society
Date: 12/8/97
Contact: Stephen Sautner
ssautner@wcs.org
718-220-5197
Wildlife Conservation Society
In Uganda's Impenetrable Forest, A New Census For Mountain Gorillas
A team of scientists has counted nearly 300 mountain gorillas
living in Uganda's Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park,
bringing the total to around 600 for this most endangered gorilla
sub-species.
The census, conducted in October and November by the Bronx
Zoo-based Wildlife Conservation Society, International Gorilla
Conservation Programme, the Institute of Tropical Forest
Conservation and the Uganda Wildlife Authority resulted in a
tally of 292 individual gorillas from 28 groups, along with seven
lone silverbacks (adult males).
Using survey techniques developed in the Virunga Conservation
Area, where the other, much better-known population of mountain
gorillas live, researchers followed trails and counted nests. To
lessen the possibility of missing groups or counting them twice,
more survey teams were used than in the past, counting over a
shorter period of time.
Each night, gorillas build a new nest, and researchers can tell
the age of the animal that slept there by the size of dung piles
left behind, and if it is a female by the presence of infant
dung. In addition, silvery hairs found in the nest can reveal the
presence of adult males. Researchers collected hairs from every
nest for DNA fingerprinting, to confirm that no groups were
counted twice, and to understand the genetic differences between
the Bwindi and Virunga populations. Bwindi gorillas differ from
Virunga gorillas by their shorter hair and slightly longer limbs.
Further research will be needed to confirm whether the Bwindi
gorillas are themselves a sub-species distinct from the Virunga
population.
The steep mountains and thick, thorny brush that give the
Impenetrable Forest its name provided a significant challenge for
the census teams that scoured all areas of the park in search of
gorilla trails. Teams consisted of national park staff from
Uganda, Rwanda, and Congo as well as visiting scientists from
conservation organizations working in the region, marking another
positive milestone to protect gorillas.
The future of these rare gorillas remains uncertain, however.
"Given that the Virunga Volcanos is currently a war zone and that
park staff cannot even enter this region to monitor the gorillas,
there is strong concern in the conservation community that there
may be even fewer than 600 animals," said Dr. Andrew Plumptre,
assistant director for Africa programs of the Wildlife
Conservation Society..
The results of the Bwindi census will be critical to a strategic
analysis to be conducted at the upcoming Mountain Gorilla
Population and Habitat Viability Analysis (PHVA) Workshop,
organized by the Uganda Wildlife Authority and the Conservation
and Breeding Specialist Group of IUCN. The workshop will be held
in Uganda from Dec. 8-12, and will bring together, for the first
time, representatives from national parks of the three mountain
gorilla range countries and conservation agencies working on
gorillas.
The workshop participants will work together to design a regional
plan of action that will best ensure the conservation of these
endangered gorilla populations. "Team members from the recent
census will attend the PHVA workshop and it is hoped that these
census results, in conjunction with the exciting spirit of
collaboration between the organizations and field personnel
involved in the census, will inspire the further cooperation
necessary to ensure the conservation of these rare gorilla
populations," said Dr. Liz Macfie, programme manager for the
International Gorilla Conservation Programme in Uganda.
Photographs and b-roll available visit our website: www.wcs.org