BRAZZAVILLE, Republic of the Congo, Aug. 30 (UPI) -- Scientists fear a new outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus could kill tens of thousands of gorillas and chimpanzees in the Republic of Congo.
The announcement was made by the International Primatological Society and Great Ape Survival Project during its 20th congress in Turin, Italy.
Recent evidence suggests Ebola, which often is fatal in humans, already may have wiped out hundreds of western lowland gorillas, of which only 100,000 remain in the world. Approximately 45 groups of some eight gorillas each were routinely observed at Congo's Odzala National Park until late 2003, but now only about nine such groups are spotted.
Ebola infection has not been confirmed as the cause, but the sudden decline in gorilla numbers is cause for serious attention because a new Ebola outbreak could be devastating, the primate groups said.
To underscore their point, the groups pointed to a study published in the journal Nature last year that found Ebola outbreaks kill approximately 80 percent of great apes living in the area of the epidemic.
