The Ebola virus first emerged in 1976 in simultaneous outbreaks in Sudan and Zaire. Ebola is considered to be the deadliest virus of all time, but it is not as well known as Smallpox because Ebola outbreaks have been limited mainly to remote areas of the world.

It is known to be a zoonotic virus as it is currently devastating the populations of lowland gorillas in Central Africa. Both Gorilla species are already endangered due to intense poaching, habitat destruction and the bushmeat trade. To read more about bushmeat trade check out http://www.janegoodall.org/africa-programs/objectives/controlling-bushmeat-trade.asp.

In 2004 a population of several hundred gorillas in the Odzala National Park, Republic of Congo was essentially wiped out by the Ebola virus.

A 2006 study published in Science concluded that more than 5,000 gorillas may have died in recent outbreaks of the Ebola virus in central Africa. The researchers indicated that in conjunction with commercial hunting of these apes creates “a recipe for rapid ecological extinction.”

Despite considerable effort by the World Health Organization, no animal reservoir capable of sustaining the virus between outbreaks has been identified.