Although the vast majority of critically endangered Grauer's gorillas (Gorilla beringei graueri) inhabit low-elevation rain forests, current insights into this ape's life history and ecology stem predominantly from 2 small populations ranging in highland habitats. Here, we provide an initial and non-exhaustive overview of food items of Grauer's gorillas in the Nkuba Conservation Area (NCA), a lower-elevation (500-1,500 m) forest located between Kahuzi-Biega National Park and Maiko National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Community-based conservation efforts at the NCA aim to protect a population of unhabituated Grauer's gorillas, which we have studied since 2014.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTo accurately determine the space use of animals, we need to follow animal movements over prolonged periods, which is especially challenging for the critically endangered Grauer's gorillas (Gorilla beringei graueri) in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). As a consequence, we know little about Grauer's gorillas, particularly from the lower elevational parts of their range. Between 2016 and 2018, we tracked unhabituated Grauer's gorillas in lowland forests (500-1,000 m a.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: The critically endangered Grauer's gorilla (Gorilla beringei graueri) has experienced an estimated 77% population decline within a single generation. Although crucial for informed conservation decisions, there is no clear understanding about population structure and distribution of genetic diversity across the species' highly fragmented range. We fill this gap by studying several core and peripheral Grauer's gorilla populations throughout their distribution range.
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