Alva Review-Courier -

WASHINGTON (AP) — A first-of-its-kind intensive count of western Africa gorillas found far more of the apes than conservationists previously thought.

Maybe not for long: The same study found a 19 percent plunge in that gorilla population in just eight years.

Researchers spent a decade trudging through an area of forest that's about the size of the state of Washington — or Ireland and Scotland combined — looking for lowland gorillas, chimpanzees and nests in what scientists said is the most accurate count for the apes in this primary region where they live, according to a study in Wednesday's j...