5000 Francs CFA Congo Silverback Gorilla

The Republic of the Congo — not to be confused with the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo — has issued wildlife-themed silver coins largely as a foreign revenue instrument, with actual domestic circulation never the intent. The silverback gorilla series capitalized on growing international demand for African wildlife bullion in the mid-2010s, a market segment dominated at the time by South African and Somali issues.

The western lowland gorilla, native to the Congo Basin, had fewer than 100,000 individuals remaining by the time this coin was struck, a population pressured by habitat loss and bushmeat hunting.