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Census Finds Increase In Central Africa's Gorilla
Population
Tuesday, January 20, 2004
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The number
of mountain gorillas in central Africa grew from 324
in 1989 to 380 last year, according to a census conducted
late last year by Rwandan, Ugandan and Congolese wildlife
experts and reported by officials on Saturday.
The 17
percent gain occurred despite warfare in the region
that postponed the census, normally held every five
years.
"Given
the decade-long political strife in the region, it is
remarkable that the
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Fossey first made the rare
gorillas famous with her book Gorillas in the Mist, an account
of her time spent studying the primates during the 1960s
in eastern Rwanda. The fund and other international conservation
groups helped pay for the census.
Fidel Ruzigandekwe of Rwanda's
National Parks and Tourism Authority on Saturday called
the census results "great news for us and good news for
the rest of the world." He attributed the gorillas' population
gain to effective conservation programs (Rodrique Ngowi,
Associated Press/Yahoo! News, Jan. 17).
Copyright, National Journal Group, 2004
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