Conservation in action
Conservation
Gorilla Conservation- Key Info
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Conservation in action
Western Lowland Gorilla Conservation
Western lowland gorillas are listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN Red List, with around 316,000 individuals thought to be left in the wild but declining by 2.7% annually. The main threats to western lowland gorillas are poaching, disease (such as the Ebola virus), habitat change and destruction, and climate change due to drying of their native regions.
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Western Lowland Gorilla Conservation
Western lowland gorillas are listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN Red List, with around 316,000 individuals thought to be left in the wild but declining by 2.7% annually. The main threats to western lowland gorillas are poaching, disease (such as the Ebola virus), habitat change and destruction, and climate change due to drying of their native regions.
Mbeli Bai Study
Since 2010 Dublin Zoo has financially supported the Mbeli Bai Study in the Republic of Congo. This project has been collecting valuable long-term data on western lowland gorillas in Mbeli Bai in the Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park since 1995.
The Mbeli Bai Study also raises awareness about gorillas in the local area. A children’s club called “Club Ebobo” was established to educate children on local wildlife and to discourage the hunting and eating of gorillas. In addition to this, the majority of people involved with the work of the Mbeli Bai Study are from the vicinity and have been trained as researchers and educators.
In 2015, Team-leader, Helen Clarke, went to visit the Mbeli Bai Study for “The Zoo” television series, watch the video below to see her experiencing western lowland gorillas in the wild.
Dublin Zoo takes part in a European breeding programme for the western lowland gorilla.
Zookeepers Visit Gorillas in the Congo
Jana Robeyst Tribute
When Team-leader Helen Clarke-Bennett travelled to the Congo to visit a conservation project Dublin Zoo supports, she got the opportunity to meet a researcher called Jana Robeyst.
Sadly, soon afterwards Jana was tragically killed by a wild elephant. This is a tribute to Jana Robeyst doing what she loved most.