Camera traps (CT) are an objective method to successfully document faunal communities in tropical forests. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of hunting on terrestrial vertebrates with a focus on the lesula monkey (Cercopithecus lomamiensis) in the Lomami National Park (LNP) and its buffer zone, which is a remote, understudied forest in the central Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Lesula is a recently discovered primate species that occupies a terrestrial niche unlike other Cercopithecus species and faces hunting threats in 80% of its range. We conducted four systematic, terrestrial camera trap surveys, with two sites located inside the protected Lomami National Park (LNP) (Losekola, 2014; E15, 2015) and two sites in the hunted buffer zone (BZ) (Okulu, 2013; Bafundo, 2015). We analyzed a total of 4785 events over 7210 CT days (LNP: 3751 events, 4409 CT days; BZ: 1034 events, 2801 CT days). We recorded a total of 55 vertebrate species (39 mammals and 16 birds), which demonstrates the rich biodiversity of the DRC. Using a comparative approach between protected and hunted sites, we recorded a lower capture rate for all categories of fauna in the buffer zone, but a high lesula trap rate (mean three sites = 10.0 events/100 CT days) regardless of survey site. This study provides baseline data for the continuous monitoring of the LNP vertebrate community and of the lesula monkey. Estimating the status of different populations related to hunting pressures will help in implementing hunting regulations and ensuring long-term conservation efforts of the LNP ecosystem.