Are Gorillas endangered ?
Are Gorillas endangered? This is a question that can be proved the remaining number of species in the whole world hence gorillas are endangered because their race is remaining with very few individuals.
Gorillas are characterized into two species that is the Eastern gorillas and the Western gorillas, Each gorilla species is sub-divided into two whereby the Western gorillas are subdivided into Western lowland and Cross River gorillas and the Eastern gorillas are sub-divided into the Mountain gorillas also known as Gorilla Beringei Beringei which inhabit in high altitude areas and the Eastern lowland gorillas also known as Grauer’s Gorillas which inhabit the lowland areas. Gorillas live in groups of 5 to 10 members and each group is dominated by a male gorilla also known as a silverback which decides where the group is going to feed, defends and protects the group from other gorilla families among others.
Gorillas in Africa are found in three Countries which are Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Gorillas in Uganda are found in two national parks namely Bwindi Forest National Park which harbors half of the world’s gorilla population and Mgahinga national park. Gorillas in Rwanda are found in Volcanoes national park which is the most visited gorilla destination in Africa due to easy accessibility and gorillas in the Democratic Republic of Congo are found in Virunga national park and Kahuzi Biega national park which harbors the eastern lowland gorillas.
Due to several reasons and factors, gorillas in Africa are considered endangered species:
Diseases, gorillas share over 98% DNA with humans which makes them closely related to human beings hence vulnerable to human diseases such as flu, cold among others. Once the gorillas are exposed to these human diseases it becomes hard for them to fight the diseases because they don’t have strong immune systems hence the disease spreads to other individuals in the family since they live in groups and they start dying which reduces on gorilla numbers in any gorilla destination.
Habitat loss, gorillas in Africa live in tropical rain forests that offer cool, moist climate and different vegetation types for the gorillas to feed because the gorillas are herbivores that feed on bamboo shoots, stems, fruits, nettles, ants among others. Gorillas face a threat of habitat loss due to various reasons like increased number of human population in the communities which leads to encroachment of the forests by the surrounding communities for agricultural purposes, livestock raring, deforestation for fire wood and charcoal making among others which makes gorilla habitat destroyed and some killed due to these factors.
Civil wars and instabilities, in the past years there were civil wars in Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo which claimed many lives of the mountain gorillas hence making them endangered but currently all gorilla destinations that is Volcanoes national park, Bwindi impenetrable national park, Mgahinga national park, and Virunga national park are safe and stable from wars and instabilities.
Lack of awareness, some people poach the mountain gorillas in the park due to lack of awareness about the importance of the gorillas in the society and the country therefore people in the surrounding communities need education about the importance of gorillas which will motivate them to conserve the mountain gorillas and also inform the authorities in case of any gorilla threats.
Poaching, gorillas suffer a threat of poachers whereby poachers from the surrounding villages set traps to catch wild animals like antelopes, bush pigs among others and end up catching the gorillas because they are mobile and always on the move in search of food. Poaching used to be massive in Volcanoes national park during the time when Dian Fossey was still carrying out research on the mountain gorillas but after her death, the government started fighting about poaching and presently there are no cases of poaching in Volcanoes national park. However, poaching is sometimes done in Virunga national park in Congo where poachers hunt the gorillas for various reasons such as
- For bush meat, poachers hunt the mountain gorillas for its meat in that some people who have tested gorilla meat claim that it is tasty hence leading to the high demand for gorilla meat in the market. Gorilla meat is also sold to other countries like Europe so as to earn revenue due to poverty in the country.
- Traditional medicines, gorilla parts are used as charms by the traditional healers or witch doctors hence gorillas suffer from threats of poaching so as to get the body parts for charms.
- For private trophies, there are people who hunt or kill the gorillas and keep their bodies as trophies to show off and pride for power or wealth.
- Pet trade, some local people capture the infant gorillas from their mothers and sell them to Foreigners who want to keep them as pets in homes or in a private zoo. The people who capture the infant gorillas might end up killing the mother because female gorillas are protective of their young ones hence end up dead when protecting its baby from being captured by poachers. The infants were once taken to the zoo also die because gorillas are not used to living in such conditions in that they face diet changes. This is also a threat to gorillas hence leading to reduction gorilla numbers.
Conserving the endangered Gorillas
These endangered Gorillas can be prevented from the above threats through various reasons such as
- Keeping a distance of 7 meters away from the gorilla families during gorilla trekking activity
- Not going for gorilla trekking activity in case you are suffering from illnesses like flu and cold which can easily be spread to the gorillas
- Not littering rubbish or throwing food particles while in the jungle or in the presence of the gorillas because they can spread some diseases to the gorillas.
- Sensitization of the local people about poaching and illegal trade of the mountain gorillas
- Supporting the local communities around the park through development projects such as agriculture, water projects among others
- Supporting the local businesses like art and craft, community projects like visiting the Batwa communities around Bwindi and Mgahinga national parks, Iby’Iwacu cultural village in Volcanoes national park where gorilla poachers earn a living through engaging in cultural performances inform of dances, music, storytelling among other.
- Visiting the gorilla families in any of the gorilla destinations where part of the money earned by the park from gorillas and tourism is given to the surrounding communities through development projects like construction of hospitals, schools which improve on people’s standards of living.
- Protection of the mountain gorillas through trans-boundary collaboration between the park authorities of Virunga national park, Bwindi impenetrable national park, Mgahinga national park, and Volcanoes national park.
The endangered Gorillas are one of the biggest tourism attractions in Africa and East Africa particularly and they are not increasing in number due to several factors, some of which are man-made, others natural hence need to be mitigated in order to conserve and preserve the gorilla treasure and further boost the tourism industry.
