VULNERABILITY OF HABITUATED GRAUER'S GORILLA TO POACHING IN THE KAHUZI-BIEGA NATIONAL PARK, DRC

Kahuzi gorillas lived without any major disturbances since their habitua- tion started in 1970. The wars from October 1996 to May 1997 and from August 1998 to June 2003 in the East of the Democratic Republic of Congo led to a large-scale slaughter of gorillas. The results of this study based on interviews with ex-poachers suggest that when habituated and non-habituated gorillas are exposed to similar poaching-pressures, the habituated gorillas are more likely to be killed than the non-habituated. The estimated ratio of killed habituated gorillas was as high as 71% vs. 42% for non-habituated gorillas. Habituated gorillas were 1.6 times more susceptible to poaching than their non-habituated counterparts. It is recommended that habituation should not be expanded, although already habituated families should be maintained as such.