Catastrophic Decline of World's Largest Primate: 80% Loss of Grauer's Gorilla (Gorilla beringei graueri) Population Justifies Critically Endangered Status

A dramatic decline of up to 87% in the population of Grauer's gorilla (Gorilla beringei graueri), the world's largest primate, has been documented, with only around 3,800 individuals remaining—justifying its elevation to 'Critically Endangered' status. This catastrophic loss, driven by civil war and bushmeat hunting in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), was rigorously assessed using novel methods analyzing local community and ranger-collected data on gorilla occupancy across 10 sites. Spatial analysis identified three critical strongholds within a shrinking range of approximately 19,700 km², underscoring the urgent need for conservation intervention to prevent further extinction.

Plumptre, A. J., Nixon, S., Kujirakwinja, D. K., Vieilledent, G., Critchlow, R., Williamson, E. A., Nishuli, R., Kirkby, A. E., & Hall, J. S. (2016). Catastrophic Decline of World’s Largest Primate: 80% Loss of Grauer’s Gorilla (Gorilla beringei graueri) Population Justifies Critically Endangered Status. Plos One, 11(10), e0162697. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0162697