Dian Fossey Gorilla FundGorilla population growth over the past 50 years in the Virunga Mountains of East Africa may have a negative side effect — an uptick in gorilla infanticide. Scientists at the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund analyzed decades of data on gorilla populations and found that violent encounters increased threefold and infanticide increased fivefold after gorilla density increased in the 2000s because of better protections. Tara Stoinski, chief scientific officer for the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund and an author on the paper, was quick to clarify that gorillas are generally peaceful creatures. In the 90s and early 2000s, there was almost no infanticide, because the gorilla population stabilized at a relatively low density. The infanticide rate increased again after 2007 due to increased population density.

Source: Forbes November 14, 2020 13:52 UTC