Baby Mountain Gorilla  Photograph by Michael Nichols  Nearly
half of the world's 700-some remaining mountain
gorillas—including this infant—live in the Virunga mountains of
central Africa, at the intersection of Uganda, Rwanda, and the
Democratic Republic of the Congo.  Virunga National Park, home
to nearly 200 gorillas, has become a battleground for militia
groups and the Congolese army. Poachers also hunt park gorillas
for meat and sale, and locals cut down trees to create charcoal.
In the early 2000s, with the help of dedicated rangers and other
measures, the gorilla population rebounded in the Virungas. But
in 2007, at least ten apes in Virunga National Park were lost to
murder and chaos, and their survival is uncertain.