Eastern Lowland Gorilla
Overview
Common Name: Eastern Lowland Gorilla
Scientific Name: Gorilla beringei graueri
Location: Eastern Central Africa
© Martin HARVEY / WWF-Canon
Separated from western gorillas by about 560 miles of Congo Basin forest, eastern gorillas inhabit the upland and mountain forests of eastern Central Africa. The eastern lowland gorilla subspecies exists only in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). They are found at lower altitudes along the western wall of the Albertine Rift Valley in eastern DRC. There are no reliable estimates of their numbers due to lack of census data in remote regions, as well as the unknown impact of decades of civil conflict in eastern DRC. The largest protected population in Kahuzi Biega National Park has declined noticeably in the past ten years due to war-related habitat destruction and hunting.
WWF works to:
WWF's continent-wide African Great Apes Program aims to ensure the long-term survival of the great apes. WWF is also exploring ways to work with governments, local communities and timber companies to combat the commercial trade in bushmeat. Through WWF's trade monitoring arm, TRAFFIC, we are working to stop the international trade in meat from protected species such as great apes.
