The Grauer's gorilla is facing a major crisis. Several factors are threatening its habitat: agricultural and pastoral expansion, subsistence hunting, bushmeat exploitation and the illegal trade in exotic animals. In addition, intensive mining and a decade of civil war, combined with socio-economic depression, are seriously affecting forest resources and wildlife in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Since 1996, the entire range of the Grauer's gorilla has been affected by conflict. This has led to a total collapse of government control, including wildlife protection activities. Large populations of this gorilla subspecies as well as chimpanzees have not been monitored for many…