Gorillas and chimpanzees, which live across Africa, are at risk of dying out. For decades, people have hunted them for food and cut down their forest habitat. But according to a new study, there may be more of the apes than people thought.
Over 11 years, a team of researchers counted the nests of western lowland gorillas and central chimps at 59 sites in Africa. They used those numbers and other data to estimate populations in other areas. The team concluded that there are about 361,900 gorillas and 128,700 chimps—almost twice as many as earlier estimates. “It gives a bit more hope,” says Trond Larsen, a scientist with Conservation International.