Emerging infectious diseases are of great concern to both humans and wild ape populations in the Congo Basin. In particular, drastic declines in ape densities following repeated emergences of Ebola in Gabon and Congo have shown clearly that this virus poses a serious threat to the long-term survival of great apes in central Africa. Ebola outbreaks in humans have been associated with declines in local ape populations, and ape remains recovered near outbreak sites have tested positive for the Ebola virus. The natural host of Ebola continues to elude researchers, despite attempts to discover its identity over the past 30 years.

The Goualougo Triangle Ape Project has developed a strong relationship with the Wildlife Conservation Society's Global Health Program and is actively involved in implementing the Regional Ebola Action Plan to address the threat of Ebola in the Sangha Trinational Region. The most valuable information on the epidemiology of Ebola virus has come from timely research (direct observations and transect surveys) in epidemic zones. Although Ebola has never been detected in the Ndoki forest, the Goualougo base camp is equipped with a carcass sampling kit and five members of the field staff have been trained by the Wildlife Conservation Society's Global Health Program to sample carcasses. Our continuous forest surveillance and extensive field effort have contributed greatly to creating baseline trends and facilitating sampling of fresh ape carcasses in the region.