Dramatic Decline Noted in Number of Great Apes

A dramatic decline in the number of gorillas and chimpanzees is occurring in western equatorial Africa, the last stronghold for great apes on the continent, according to researchers from the Wildlife Conservation Society. In Gabon alone, the team found a 56% drop in the number of the primates from 1983 to 2000. They attributed the decline to outbreaks of the Ebola virus and to widespread regional civil unrest, which has led to the animals’ slaughter. They said the animals should be reclassified from “endangered” to “critically endangered.”