Among the gorillas, 95% of those infected eventually died. Among chimpanzees, the mortality rate is 77%

The Ebola virus has made thousands of victims around the world in the current outbreak, which is the worst since the 1970s. However, it is not only the human being who is suffering the consequences of the fatal bleeding in almost 50% of registered cases: the chimpanzees and gorillas are also dying and need urgently vaccine, according with the newspaper The Mirror.

The virus is even more deadly among animals. According to the newspaper, at least one third of the individuals of these species have been wiped out by the disease since 1990. Among the gorillas, 95% of those infected eventually died. Among chimpanzees, the mortality rate is 77%.

The outbreaks are uncommon, but when they reach the animals, can end up with a large number of them, especially if the carcasses are left abandoned. In 1995, for example, 90% of gorillas in Gabon National Park died of Ebola. Between 2002 and 2003, some five thousand were killed by the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

African great apes are also under poaching attack, living with the destruction of their habitat, facing wars and other infectious diseases. According to scientists, lack of habitat means that infected animals are more susceptible to contact with each other, and therefore more likely to contract the virus. It’s a vicious cycle.