Mbeli Bai

History

In 1993, the Wildlife Conservation Society, together with the Ministry of Forest Economy and Environment, protected the swamp from human settlement. The area is inhabited by African forest elephants, sitatunga, black-and-white colobus monkeys, Congo clawless and spotted-necked otter, and around 226 western lowland gorillas found in groups of between 2 and 16 individuals.

Animal research

Mbeli Bai is commonly used for animal research. Since February 1995, researchers working for Mbeli Bai's research group, Mbeli Bai Study (MBS), have been monitoring the animals in Mbeli Bai. The Mbeli Bai Study is funded by the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, the Cologne Zoological Garden, the Dublin Zoo, the Toronto zoo, the Wildlife Conservation Society, and the Woodland Park Zoo, in exchange for receiving animals.

More than 330 gorillas have been monitored spanning more than 1750 gorilla years of around 55 groups of silverback gorillas. The researchers monitored gorilla socialisation, power structures and the first tool use by gorillas.

Poaching

The area had some elephant poaching during the 1990s. During the late 2000s and the 2010s, a poaching group led by Guyvanho killed around 500 elephants in the area. On August 19, 2020, he and his group were arrested, and Guyvanho was sentenced to 30 years in prison.

Gallery

File:Mapa mbelibai2.png|Mbeli Bai on a map File:Gorrila tool use-Efi2.jpg|Female western lowland gorilla Efi, the first gorilla spotted using tools, Mbeli Bai, 2005 File:African elephant, Mbeli-Bai, Republic of Congo (18320426684).jpg|Elephant in marsh, Mbeli Bai, 2015. Photo by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service

References

References

1. (2018-02-23). "The Ark and Beyond: The Evolution of Zoo and Aquarium Conservation". University of Chicago Press.
2. (2022-09-30). "Nouabale-Ndoki National Park".
3. (2022-10-19). "Population dynamics of western gorillas at Mbeli Bai". PLOS ONE.
4. (2018-03-02). "Gorilla ''Gorilla'' spp conservation – from zoos to the field and back: examples from the Mbeli Bai Study". International Zoo Yearbook.
5. (2017). "Life-history patterns of the Sitatunga (Tragelaphus spekii) at Mbeli Bai, northern Congo". [[African Journal of Ecology]].
6. (2001). "Animal behaviour. An unusual social display by gorillas". Nature.
7. Parnell, Richard J.. (2002-03-07). "Group size and structure in western lowland gorillas (''Gorilla gorilla gorilla'') at Mbeli Bai, Republic of Congo". American Journal of Primatology.
8. (2019-07-10). "Gorillas found to live in 'complex' societies, suggesting deep roots of human social evolution".
9. (2005). "First Observation of Tool Use in Wild Gorillas". PLOS Biology.
10. (2005). "Wild Gorillas Handy with a Stick". PLOS Biology.
11. (29 September 2005). "Wild gorillas spotted using tools for first time". [[NBC]].
12. (2011-06-13). "Among African Apes: Stories and Photos from the Field". University of California Press.
13. "Mbeli Bai, N. Congo".
14. Cockburn, Harry. (16 August 2020). "Congo elephant poacher jailed for 30 years in landmark case". [[The Independent]].
15. (2007). "In the Shadows of the Congo Basin Forest, Elephants Fall to the Illegal Ivory Trade". PLOS Biology.