BOUNCING along a dirt road that weaved through Gabon’s Loango National Park last month, I stared in awe at the towering rain forest on either side of the Land Cruiser. The trees easily stretched more than 100 feet tall amid a massive tangle of vines. I kept waiting for King Kong to come crashing out, or for Sir Richard Attenborough to appear and welcome me to Jurassic Park.
Situated on the Atlantic coast, the African nation of Gabon exemplifies a nature-lover’s dreamland. Some 20,000 gorillas—far more docile than King Kong—lumber...