Virunga Gorillas – the Case Against Translocations

Only about 300 mountain gorillas survive in the Virunga Volcanoes of Zaire and Rwanda. In the last Oryx Dr John MacKinnon suggested that a transfer of animals from the Kahuzi-Biega National Park to introduce new blood to the Virunga population should be considered. The author of this article, who spent two years intheVirungaswith Dian Fossey studying the gorillas, points out first that we do not yet know whether the animals are, in fact, suffering from inbreeding, and suggests why they may not be so; and second that there are special difficulties about the transfer that make death of the released animals and disruption of the population the most likely results at present. Dr MacKinnon, who has read the article, agrees that there are many dangers in translocation and that it should not be done without careful consideration and expert supervision.