Concern for Gorillas and Communities: The Ebola Outbreak in eastern DR Congo

The Gorilla Organization is on heightened alert following an outbreak of deadly Ebola virus in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

On 17 May 2026, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. To date, they report 1,000 suspected cases, with 125 confirmed cases and 17 deaths. This includes at least one confirmed case in Goma, where our team is based.

Quarantine measures are currently in place, severely restricting movement in and out of the city and blocking access to our projects.

The timing is particularly critical. Eastern DRC continues to face intense conflict and insecurity, including around the protected habitats of endangered mountain and Grauer’s gorillas. Our vital work — supporting rangers, community livelihood initiatives, and habitat restoration — relies on the ability to move freely and deploy resources on the ground.

We are also gravely concerned for the gorillas themselves. Great apes are highly susceptible to Ebola, and eastern gorillas are believed to be vulnerable to the Bundibugyo strain driving this outbreak. While there are no recorded cases of Ebola in eastern gorillas to date, the precedent is alarming: between 2002 and 2004, as many as 5,000 wild western lowland gorillas died as Ebola ravaged populations with a 95% mortality rate.

In response, The Gorilla Organization is urgently redirecting funds to bolster frontline patrols focused on enhanced monitoring and implementing measures to minimise any risk of transmission to gorilla populations.

Gorilla Organization staff and partners are currently safe and there are no reports of transmission to gorillas.