Baby Mountain Gorilla

Photograph by Michael Nichols

Nearly half of the world's 700-some remaining mountain gorillas—including this infant—live in the Virunga mountains of central Africa, at the intersection of Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Virunga National Park, home to nearly 200 gorillas, has become a battleground for militia groups and the Congolese army. Poachers also hunt park gorillas for meat and sale, and locals cut down trees to create charcoal.

In the early 2000s, with the help of dedicated rangers and other measures, the gorilla population rebounded in the Virungas. But in 2007, at least ten apes in Virunga National Park were lost to murder and chaos, and their survival is uncertain.