Status of large mammals in the mountain sector of Kahuzi-Biega National Park, Democratic Republic of Congo, in 1996

Kahuzi-Biega National Park, located in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo , harbours an abundance of endemic species and maintains important populati ons of Grauer's gorilla (Gorilla gorilla graueri) and elephants (Loxodonta africana). This paper reports on the status of large mammals within the mou ntain sector of the park in 1996, 2 years after the arrival of half a milli on Rwandan refugees in the area immediately adjacent to the sector. Large m ammal surveys found that gorilla populations had remained stable and that e lephants were concentrated within a subsector of the area, However, althoug h chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), blue monkeys (Cercopithecus mitis), and ow l-faced monkeys (C. hamlyni) were abundant and widespread, most terrestrial mammal species were found in very low densities and had been subjected to poaching. Nevertheless, important mammal populations remained and complemen ted the biodiversity conservation value of the park.