Since 1994, civil war has left
over 5 million people dead and wildlife decimated in the Democratic Republic of
Congo (DRC). Today, heavily armed militia and illegal miners prospect for
“conflict minerals” needed for modern electronic devices made and sold in the
U.S. and around the globe.
Hunters have targeted Grauer’s
gorillas to feed miners and militias: in just two decades, these great apes
have declined by 77 percent. A 2016 survey found only 3,800 Grauer’s gorillas,
the world’s largest primates, still hanging on in the most rugged parts of
eastern DRC.
The good news: a bold group of
scientists, under the protection of armed rangers, has found 50 previously
uncounted Grauer’s gorillas in DRC’s Maiko National Park. And more may exist
within the 4,000 square-mile park.
The bad news: the US House of
Representatives voted last month to defund the “Conflict Mineral Rule,” which
required US companies to report where conflict minerals, such as coltan used in
cell phones and computers, were sourced. The Senate has yet to take action on
the legislation.
A mere 15 Grauer’s gorillas (Gorilla
beringei graueri) were believed to live inside Africa’s Maiko
National Park. But biologist Damien Caillaud suspected otherwise. He felt sure
the preserve’s nearly-impassable jungle could shelter more of the Critically
Endangered great apes — hidden in deep gorges in the shadow of precipitous
peaks.
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