It’s an announcement that shocked the conservation community: In a world of satellite imagery, where there are no longer any blank spots on maps, wildlife conservationists discovered a new population of 100,000 Western Lowland Gorillas in the swamp forests around Lake Tele Community Reserve in the Republic of the Congo. Their find effectively doubles the previous global population estimates. 

Acting on rumors from local hunters, researchers from the Wildlife Conservation Society hiked 50 miles from the nearest road, and stumbled across hundreds of critically endangered animals going about their every day lives. They counted the gorillas’ nighttime nests, coming up with densities as high as 8 animals per square km, which are extraordinary densities for this species.

“We knew from our own observations that there were a lot of gorillas out there, but we had no idea there were so many,” said Dr. Emma Stokes, who led the survey efforts in Ndoki-Likouala. “We hope that the results of this survey will allow us to work with the Congolese government to establish and protect the new Ntokou-Pikounda protected area.”

This is very refreshing news from a beleaguered part of the world and reflects the work of truly dedicated individuals who are already working on securing protection for these magnificent animals.

The picture above and the video below are among the first from the Congo region. Rejoice and enjoy.