Modeling the impact of Ebola and bushmeat hunting on western lowland gorillas

The 2003 outbreak of Ebola in the Republic of Congo killed 114 people and up to 800 western lowland gorillas. This outbreak and all outbreaks between 2001-2003 began with human handling of infected animal carcasses. Ebola has since spread, putting the entire gorilla population at risk. An epidemiological model is presented to describe the combined effects of Ebola and hunting on persistence of gorillas. The number of infected gorillas also provides a means of assessing the risk of transmission to humans. Under current harvest practices and the estimated annual outbreak rate, the gorilla population is predicted to undergo a 97 % decline within 100 years. Controlling bushmeat hunting may not be enough to prevent extinction if frequent outbreaks occur.