The park is one of the last refuges of the rare Mountain Gorilla and was the original site where Dian Fossey (protege of Dr. Louis Leakey) studied gorillas before relocating to Rwanda. Prior to conflicts which have plagued this part of Africa since the 1990's, only an estimated 600 gorillas remained throughout the range. As a result of the remaining gorilla population, the park was inscribed as a UNESCOWorld Heritage Site in 1980. It is likely that recent war in the region has taken a terrible toll on their numbers. One recent (2005) estimate has suggested that as many as 60% of the population of nearly 300 recorded in Kahuzi-Biéga in 1990 may have perished. The ongoing fighting in the Congo has moved within the boundaries of the park causing looting, burning of the forest, and poaching of the animals. Consequently the park was added to the list of World Heritage Sites in Danger in 1997.
The Park is named after two extinct volcanoes, Mount Kahuzi (3,308 m) and Mount Biéga (2,790 m). Mount Kahuzi is the highest in this part of Kivu.
Democratic Republic of the Congo