Ebola 'kills over 5,000 gorillas'

Ebola 'kills over 5,000 gorillas'

Scientists fear Ebola and hunting combined could wipe out gorillas

More than 5,000 gorillas may have died in recent outbreaks of the Ebola virus in central Africa, a study
Scientists warn that, coupled with the commercial hunting of gorillas, it may be enough to push them to extinction.
The study, published in the US journal Science, looked at gorilla colonies in Republic of Congo and Gabon. Ebola is also blamed for many chimpanzee deaths.
One of the most virulent viruses known, Ebola has killed more than 1,000 people since it was first recorded in 1976.
Ebola causes viral haemorrhagic fever - massive internal and external bleeding - which can kill up to 90% of those infected.
Scientists are still working on a vaccine and there is no known cure.
Ape-to-ape transmission
The latest study, carried out by an international team, has confirmed previous concerns about how badly the virus is affecting gorillas.

EBOLA One of the most virulent viral diseases Damages blood vessels and can cause extensive bleeding, diarrhoea and shock Killed more than 240 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1995 Transmitted by infected body fluids Kills up to 90% of victims, depending on the strain There is no cure

"Add commercial hunting to the mix, and we have a recipe for rapid ecological extinction," the report says. "Ape species that were abundant and widely distributed a decade ago are rapidly being reduced to remnant populations."
The researchers, led by Magdalena Bermejo of the University of Barcelona, focused on western gorillas, one of two gorilla species. The other is the eastern gorilla.
In 2002 and 2003, several outbreaks of Ebola flared up in human populations in Gabon and Congo.
The researchers found a "massive die-off" in gorillas in Congo's Lossi Sanctuary between 2002 and 2004.
"The Lossi outbreak killed about as many gorillas as survive in the entire eastern gorilla species," the study says. The researchers concluded that the apes were not only infected by other species, such as fruit bats, but were also transmitting the virus among themselves.
Ebola was passing from group to group of the endangered animals, they found, and appeared to be spreading faster than in humans.
Outbreaks of the disease in humans have sometimes been traced to the bushmeat trade.
According to World Health Organization figures, Ebola killed 1,200 people between the first recorded human outbreak in 1976 and 2004.

Primates 'face extinction crisis'

By Mark Kinver Science and nature reporter, BBC News http://www.richimag.co.uk/ape/

Under pressure: The Critically Endangered grey-shanked douc langur is one of the primates in peril In pictures

A global review of the world's primates says 48% of species face extinction, an outlook described as "depressing" by conservationists.

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species says the main threat is habitat loss, primarily through the burning and clearing of tropical forests.

More than 70% of primates in Asia are now listed as Endangered, it adds.

The findings form part of the most detailed survey of the Earth's mammals, which will be published in October.

PRIMATES IN PERIL Nations with the highest percentage of threatened species: Cambodia - 90% Vietnam - 86% Indonesia - 84% Laos - 83% China - 79% (Source: IUCN Red List)

Other threats include hunting of primates for food and the illegal wildlife trade, explained Russell Mittermeier, chairman of global conservation group IUCN's Primate Specialist Group and president of Conservation International.

"In many places, primates are quite literally being eaten to extinction," he warned.

"Tropical forest destruction has always been the main cause, but now it appears that hunting is just as serious a threat in some areas, even where the habitat is still quite intact."

The survey, involving hundreds of experts, showed that out of 634 recognised species and subspecies, 11% were Critically Endangered, 22% were Endangered, while a further 15% were listed as Vulnerable.

Asia had the greatest proportion of threatened primates, with 71% considered at risk of extinction. The five nations with the highest percentage of endangered species were all within Asia.

'Depressing' picture

"It is quite spectacular; we are just wiping out primates," said Jean-Christophe Vie, deputy head of the IUCN Species Programme.

RED LIST DEFINITIONS The Tonkin snub-nosed monkey is listed as Critically Endangered Extinct - Surveys suggest last known individual has died Critically Endangered - Extreme high risk of extinction - this means some Critically Endangered species are also tagged Possibly Extinct Endangered - Species at very high risk of extinction Vulnerable - Species at high risk of extinction Near Threatened - May soon move into above categories Least Concern - Species is widespread and abundant Data Deficient - not enough data to assess

He added that the data was probably the worst assessment for any group of species on record.

"The problem with these species is that they have long lives, so it takes time to reverse the decline. It is quite depressing."

Although habitat loss and deforestation were deemed to be the main threats globally, Dr Vie explained how human encroachment into forests was also creating favourable conditions for hunters.

"This creates access, allowing people to go to places that they could not go in the past," he told BBC News.

"Primates are relatively easy to hunt because they are diurnal, live in groups and are noisy - they are really easy targets.

"Many of the Asian primates, like langurs, are 5-10kg, so they are a good target. Generally, you find that what is big and easy to get disappears very quickly."

In Africa, 11 of the 13 kinds of red colobus monkeys assessed were listed as Critically Endangered or Endangered.

Conservationists fear that two may already be extinct. The Bouvier's red colobus has not been seen for 25 years, and no living Miss Waldron red colobus has been recorded since 1978.

The authors of the primate Red List did consider downlisting mountain gorillas to Endangered from Critically Endangered because the great apes had recorded a population increase.

But they decided to delay reclassification as a result of five of the gorillas being killed in July 2007 by gunmen in the DR Congo's Virunga National Park, which is still at the centre of a conflict between rebel forces and government troops.

During 2007, wildlife rangers in the park recorded a total of 10 gorilla killings. The rangers have been documenting their struggles in a regular diary on the BBC News website over the past year.

Mountain gorillas have been caught in the crossfire of a land dispute Diary: Protecting mountain gorillas

"If you kill seven, 10 or 20 mountain gorillas, it has a devastating impact on the entire population," Dr Vie explained.

"Within the Red List criteria, you are allowed to anticipate what will happen in the future as well as look at what has happened in the past.

"So it was decided not to change the mountain gorillas' listing because of the sudden deaths, and we do not know when it is going to stop."

Dr Emmanuel de Merode, chief executive of Gorilla.cd - an EU-funded programme working in Virunga National Park - said the gorillas' long-term survival was still far from assured.

"Militias have been in control of the Gorilla Sector since September last year, which means the Congolese wildlife authority has been unable to manage the area and protect the gorillas," he told BBC News.

"Until the war ends and the rangers are able to get back in and patrol the area, we have no idea as to the fate of almost a third of the mountain gorillas left in the world."

Golden glimmer of hope

Despite the gloomy outlook, the Red List did record a number of conservation successes.

The re-introduction of golden lion tamarins is one of the few successes

Brazil's populations of golden lion tamarins and black lion tamarins were downlisted from Critically Endangered to Endangered.

"It is the result of decades of effort," said Dr Vie. "The lion tamarins were almost extinct in the wild, but they were very popular in zoos so there was a large captive population.

"So zoos around the world decided to join forces to introduce a captive breeding programme to reintroduce the tamarins in Brazil."

However the first attempts were not successful and the released population quickly crashed because the animals were ill-prepared for life in the wild, he recalled.

"They were not exposed to eagles or snakes and they did not know how to find food, so a lot of them died. But some did survive and, slowly, the numbers began to increase."

Ultimately, the success was a combination of ex-situ conservation in zoos and in-situ conservation by protecting and reforesting small areas around Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo.

"It took time, money and effort at all levels, from the politicians to scientists and volunteers on the ground, for just two species."

The findings, issued at the International Primatological Society Congress in Edinburgh, Scotland, will be included in a survey described as an "unprecedented examination of the state of the world's mammals", which will be presented at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in October.

Census reveals extinction threat

The study is part of a major effort to document animal and plant life

http://www.richimag.co.uk/biofools/10% of the World's mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish are at risk of extinction, says an Australian report.

The animals face threats including habitat loss and climate change.

The report comes from Australia's Biological Resources Study, a project aiming to document all of the planet's known animal and plant species.

The study found that almost 1% of the World's 1.9 million classified species were threatened.

This included 9.2% of major vertebrate species.

The publication, Numbers of Living Species in Australia and the World, is part of a major effort to document the entire planet's animal and plant life.

The study underlines the unique biodiversity in Australia

It said that 20% of mammals were endangered, as were 12% percent of birds and 29% of amphibians.

Almost 5% of reptiles were considered threatened, along with 4% of fish species.

Peter Garrett, Australian Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts, said: "We need this essential information to do a better job of managing our biodiversity against the threats of invasive species, habitat loss and climate change."

Mr Garrett also announced a partnership between the the Australian Biological Resources Study, and the mining company BHP Billiton to name and describe 500 reef species over the next three years.

East Africa hunger

UN warns over East Africa hunger

The WFP wants more food aid for Somalia and other drought-hit countries

More than 20 million people in the Horn of Africa need food aid because of two years of poor rainfall, the UN's World Food Programme (WFP) says.

The body says cuts in its funding have made it more difficult to feed people across Kenya, Somalia, Eritrea, Djibouti and Ethiopia.

The WFP is particularly concerned about Eritrea because it cannot get any reliable information about the country.

Some 14 million people in the region were said to need food aid last year.

Audio slideshow: Kenya's drought

The WFP says it cannot collect data from Eritrea because of movement restrictions and work permits not being issued.

It says it is concerned that malnourished children and pregnant women are not getting the help being offered across the rest of the region.

The Ethiopian government and WFP are using ports in Sudan and Somalia's breakaway region of Somaliland to increase the flow of relief supplies to the area.

Ancient forest tribe under threat

Ancient forest tribe under threat

The Mau forest is being cleared to grow food

By Ishbel Matheson in Nairobi

In Kenya's ancient Mau forest, a group of Ogiek boys are on their journey to manhood.

In an initiation ceremony marked by secrecy and ritual, their arrival is celebrated using the branches of sacred trees.

As warriors, the young men will be expected to protect their homeland, 200 kilometres northwest of Nairobi.

But Kenya's last forest tribe is under threat.

A traditional warrior ceremony is held for the boys

Settlers are burning the woodland to make way for fields. Trees are turning to ash.

When the Ogieks see the destruction, they wonder what will become of their people.

"I think it's the end of our lives," says one man. " We are no more."

Voting favours

But powerful forces are at work. It is illegal to farm here. However poor Kenyans are desperate for food, not trees.

The government wants to open up much of Kenya's protected woodland for settlement.

This is an election year and land means votes.

One settler, David Saang, says he is grateful for his plot of land.

David Saang has a plot of land in the forest

He also says he will vote for the ruling Kanu party in the election.

Now the Ogieks are fighting back - but on unfamiliar territory.

They are trying to challenge the government in the High Court in Nairobi.

But some have never been to the capital before, let alone a court, and they don't know their way around the system.

Stalling tactics

The government is outwitting these people. Their lawyer tells them the government is stalling. The case has been adjourned again after only half an hour in court.

The Ogiek people wait for news at the courthouse

There is disappointment and dejection among those who have travelled to watch the hearing.

They will come back in two months but this is virtually the last chance for these people.

If the Ogieks do not win this court case, it is not only the forests which will disappear.

A unique way of life will also vanish

Kenya's heart stops pumping

Kenya's heart stops pumping Mau forest Dry lake In pictures 'My land' Conflict fears

By James Morgan BBC News, Kenya At the edges of Kenya's Lake Nakuru, Paul Opiyo picks up a dead flamingo and warns some eager tourists not to touch it, just in case. He points down to his feet - the brown earth is speckled with brittle white feather shafts. "We should be underwater, standing here," says the deputy warden of Lake Nakuru national park. "This isn't the lake shore. This is the lake floor." The disappearing lake To reach the water's edge, we have driven hundreds of metres out across the former lake bed - now a barren moonscape of tyre tracks and bones. The pelicans and the flamingos are surviving on treated sewage Paul Opiyo, Deputy warden, Lake Nakuru In pictures: Mau forest "Twenty years ago, this lake was 2.6 metres deep," says Mr Opiyo, of the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS). "Last month, it was 1.4 metres. "One point four metres," he says again. "It is a lake you can literally walk across." Lake Nakuru is disappearing. And with it, around 1.5 million flamingoes - the icon of the Rift Valley - are under threat. The pink ribbon round the lakeshore is a marvel which attracts 1,000 people a day to Nakuru, the most visited of all Kenya's national parks. "They come to be baptised in the birdwatchers' paradise," says Mr Opiyo. "We have marabou stork, pelicans, yellow billed stork, Egyptian geese..." Trouble in paradise But this year, there is not enough water to be "baptised" in. All three of the rivers that feed Nakuru are bone dry. The rivers flow from Mau forest. We climb down into a dusty brown ditch - the remains of the Njoro, the main river flowing into Lake Nakuru. The River Njoro - in the rainy season This is the rainy season - the water should be over our heads. But the measuring gauges are redundant. "This used to be a permanent river - even in the dry season there was always some water flowing," says Bernard Kuloba, a KWS ecologist. "Now it's becoming a seasonal river. And the dry period is increasing. "One reason is climate change. But the other is land use change - upstream in Mau forest. If Lake Nakuru dies, many smaller parks in Kenya will be at great risk Paul Udoto, Kenya Wildlife Service "Settlement and agriculture have increased. The water entering at the top does not reach the bottom." Down at the lakeside, the animals are thirsty - and not only the flamingoes. The park is home to black rhino, water buffalo, hippos and tree-climbing lions. All these animals need fresh river water for drinking because the lake itself is saline - like many in Rift Valley. With the rivers empty, the marabou storks are now drinking instead from a stagnant pool of greasy grey gloop. "This is sewage from the nearby town," says Mr Opiyo. "The smell is a sign that it was not completely treated. "The pelicans, the flamingoes... this is what they have to survive on - treated sewage." Desperate strategy To keep the wildlife alive, the Kenya Wildlife Service has adopted a slightly desperate strategy. Each month, they use 12,000 litres of diesel and spend 100,000 shillings pumping water from deep underground boreholes into drinking troughs. These boreholes are sustaining the animals - so far. Already, one of the boreholes we dug in the park is dry Bernard Kuloba, Ecologist, Kenya Wildlife Service But the trouble, says Mr Kuloba, is that the underground reservoir is fast drying up. The water in the aquifer is not being replenished because of the damage to the forest ecosystem. "Already, one of the boreholes we dug in the park is dry - we are not able to pump," says the ecologist. "The aquifer is low. If we had a consistent drought, it would dry out." He points to a pile of bones - the remains of a buffalo that has desiccated in the heat. "It came here to drink and then it died. If the droughts continue, this will become an annual ritual." The Kenya Wildlife Service knows the park cannot depend on boreholes forever. The boreholes dug in the park were not enough to save this buffalo In the neighbouring towns of Nakuru and Njoro, hundreds of thousands of people are also suffering from water shortages. To compensate, they rely on boreholes - which drain from the same aquifer as the animals in the park. "A situation is arising where humans and wildlife are competing. And when that happens, people will switch off water for wildlife so we can get some for ourselves," says Mr Kuloba. "I see that happening very soon. I see conflict coming. The next thing we might see is vandalism of the park fences." Lake Nakuru is the flagship of Kenya's 36 national parks and reserves. Once the Mau recovers, you can be sure the rivers will flow Paul Opiyo, Deputy warden, Lake Nakuru The park took 513 million shillings ($6.8m; £4m) in 2007 - money which is essential to keep the smaller parks alive. "Parks like Sibiloi and Kakamega - the revenue from Nakuru is what keeps them afloat," says Paul Udoto, a KWS spokesman. "If Lake Nakuru dies, those parks will be at great risk". From the roan antelope in Ruma to the turtles at Malindi, one way or another, they all drink from Lake Nakuru. Which is why the Kenya Wildlife Service has become a major player in the operation to restore the Mau forest ecosystem. Their rangers patrol the park in search of illegal loggers - and they will oversee the removal of settlers. "Once the Mau recovers, you can be sure the rivers will flow," says Paul Opiyo. "The sun will rise over Nakuru again". Lake Nakuru - slowly disappearing