P-T RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT--
"DNA is key to counting gorillas"

Finding gorillas in Uganda's aptly named Impenetrable Forest is no
easy task. Making sure you're not counting the same ones twice is
just one of the pitfalls.

Thus, DNA typing has become a valuable tallying tool, as reported
in the March issue of BioScience. Researchers undertaking the
October/November, 1997, census used DNA "fingerprinting" to examine
and identify hairs from the gorilla's nightly nests. Of course,
they used other, more low-tech methods for counting the elusive
gorillas as well. They could tell whether a male was present by
searching for the telltale silvery hairs in the nest. They could
also determine the gorillas' ages by examining the size of their
dung piles.

The fall census totaled about 600 mountain gorillas; 292 from 28
groups and seven lone silverbacks. Conservationists remain
concerned about the uncertain future of this endangered species in
the Virunga Volcanoes region, currently a war zone.

Undertaking the census were researchers from the Bronx Zoo-based
Wildlife Conservation Society, the International Gorilla
Conservation Programme, the Instititute of Tropical Forest
Conservation, and the Uganda Wildife Authority.

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Primate-Science Research Highlights appears every other week and focuses
broadly on research involving non-human primates. Coverage includes
biomedicine, behavior, conservation and veterinary science. Please
submit highlights for this column to Larry Jacobsen, Primate-Science Research
Highlights editor, at jacobsen@primate.wisc.edu. A 300-word limit and
lay-language style are recommended. Primate-Science Research Highlights are
supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health,
National Center for Research Resources.  Copyright 1998,
Wisconsin Regional Primate Research Center. No portion of this highlight
may be copied or redistributed without the consent of the editor.

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