Status of large mammals in the mountain sector of Kahuzi‐Biega National Park, Democratic Republic of Congo, in 1996

Abstract

Kahuzi‐Biega National Park, located in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, harbours an abundance of endemic species and maintains important populations of Grauer's gorilla (Gorilla gorilla graueri) and elephants (Loxodonta africana). This paper reports on the status of large mammals within the mountain sector of the park in 1996, 2 years after the arrival of half a million Rwandan refugees in the area immediately adjacent to the sector. Large mammal surveys found that gorilla populations had remained stable and that elephants were concentrated within a subsector of the area. However, although chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), blue monkeys (Cercopithecus mitis), and owl‐faced monkeys (C. hamlyni) were abundant and widespread, most terrestrial mammal species were found in very low densities and had been subjected to poaching. Nevertheless, important mammal populations remained and complemented the biodiversity conservation value of the park.