Eastern Lowland Gorilla
Description - With hair and teeth shorter than the mountain gorilla the Eastern Lowland gorilla is identified by its stocky body, short snout, large hands and long legs; it follows the same mating patterns, social dominancy and communication patterns as the mountain gorilla.
Distribution - Occurs in the lowland and Albertine Rift montane forests of Eastern DRC. The main strongholds being in Kahuzi-Biega National Park and Maiko National Park.
Level of Protection - Endangered. In the mid 90's it was thought that there were approx 15-20,000 individuals. Over the years due to increased poaching and civil unrest it is thought that there are now as few as 2-4,000. Despite this, in 2004 anti-poaching patrols were increased, park rangers recruited and trained, and more ranger posts have been opened.
Best Time to Visit - The traveller is able to visit throughout the year although approx short wet seasons do run from March-April and October-November. Tracking in the rainforest does mean that you can get wet at any time of the year!
Safaris available - World Primate Safaris does not offer safaris to DRC at present due to issues of security. Please contact us for further information.
