Thursday, March 25, 2010

Gorillas facing tough times in the Congo


Gorillas may be facing extinction in the the Greater Congo Basin in Africa. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), currently meeting in Qatar, was warned today by the United Nations Environment Programme and Interpol that Gorillas may disappear from the Congo Basin in 10-15 years if urgent action is not taken.

Gorillas are victims of habitat loss and fragmentation, as well as hunting and trade. In Congo, militias are dealing illegally in gorillas. The illegal trade may be worth of up to several hundred million dollars a year.

Baby gorillas are also a lucrative trading item to wealthy Africans. However, it is estimated that in order to capture one live baby gorilla, 14 gorillas are likely to have died.

CITES must push countries towards more effective law enforcement to save these gorillas from going extinct.

Read more at GulfTimes.

2 comments:

Chris Berry said...

Not a good week for biodiversity and wildlife.

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