Do you know how many wild mountain Gorillas there are?

There were more than 480 mountain gorillas alive in their main home in Africa's Virunga Massif this spring, 230 more than were there 30 years ago, a census by several conservation groups found.

The gorilla, Gorilla beringei beringei, mainly lives in the wild in two places in Africa, the Virunga Massif and the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda.

A 2006 census in Bwindi found 302 mountain gorillas living there. That puts the known world total at 786 including animals in captivity.

The Massif contains three contiguous national parks in three different countries, Parc National des Virunga in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda, and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda.

This is a 26% increase over the past seven years, despite the killing of at least nine of the animals during that time.

"This recovery is due to the relentless collaborative efforts of many organizations and institutions in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Uganda," said Augustin Basabose, coordinator of species at the International Gorilla Conservation Programme, which is a coalition of African Wildlife Foundation, Fauna & Flora International, and the World Wide Fund for Nature.

To count the gorillas, six teams of 72 people systematically walked over 620 miles in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Uganda. They not only counted actual sightings of gorillas but also collected fecal samples. Genetic analysis of these samples was used to correct double-counting.

While the gorillas seem to be rebounding, they are still at risk. Recent patrols in the Virunga Massif found over 200 snares in five days. Poachers are generally going after different animals, but they can still be harmed by the traps.
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By Elizabeth Weise