issue 04 June 2016
Gorilla warfare
Harambe, a 17-year-old gorilla, was shot at Cincinnati Zoo after he started dragging away a boy aged four who had fallen into his enclosure. What are world’s biggest threat to gorillas?
— There are approximately 100,000 left in the wild, most of them western lowland gorillas who live in the Congo.
— Two per week are believed to be falling victim to poachers.
— According to one estimate, a quarter of all gorillas have been killed by the Ebola virus in the past 12 years.
— Gorillas contribute to their own decline through infanticide. When a dominant male dies the successor will often kill his offspring, accounting for 1.7% of all gorilla deaths, according to one study.
Chill waters
A dinghy full of migrants was rescued off the Kent coast. How does crossing the English Channel compare with crossing the Mediterranean?
CALAIS-DOVER: 21 MILES
Sea temp. 7.5˚C (March) 17.7˚C (Sep)
TURKEY-KOS (AGEAN): 3 MILES
Sea temp. 16.9˚C (March) 25.3˚C
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