Why Are Gorillas Endangered?
Why Are Gorillas Endangered? Reasons Behind Their Population Decline.
Why are gorillas endangered? Gorillas are one of the most intellectually advanced and highly social animals on the planet, having 98.3% of their genetic makeup in common with humans. Even with such a close relation between them, there are an extremely large number of hazards that gorillas encounter, which have pushed them to the brink of extinction. The conservation community, as well as gorilla tourism operators, are fighting to preserve the remaining few specimens.
The gorilla family is divided into two species, the western gorilla (Gorilla gorilla) and the eastern gorilla (Gorilla beringei), with four recognised subspecies between them. While the mountain gorilla has shown modest population recovery thanks to decades of protection, most gorilla populations remain on a worrying downward trajectory driven by interconnected human pressures.
Threats to Gorilla Populations
Habitat destruction and deforestation
Perhaps the biggest challenge that faces gorillas today in terms of their ability to survive is the loss of the forests in which they live. Within the Congo Basin, the Virunga Mountains, and the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest (which is one of the best places in Africa to track gorillas), agricultural development, deforestation, and the production of charcoal have removed the equatorial rainforest.
As human populations in Central and West Africa continue to grow, communities increasingly encroach into protected forest zones. Slash-and-burn farming converts ancient forest into smallholder plots, while industrial agriculture, including oil palm and rubber plantations, erases vast swaths of gorilla habitat in a single season.
This will isolate groups of gorillas from each other, thus leading to loss of gene pool variety, which can make these creatures susceptible to disease attacks.
Disease Epidemics
There are many diseases that gorillas are susceptible to, just like humans, including the outbreak of Ebola and other respiratory diseases. Disease outbreaks may wipe out whole groups because of their social nature. Ebola is known to have wiped out a good number of gorillas in certain populations; hence, the need for health surveillance and minimal contact by tourists, such as gorilla trekking.
Poaching and the bushmeat trade
Illegal hunting remains a devastating threat to gorilla populations throughout their range. Gorillas are killed for bushmeat, a trade that supplies urban markets and rebel militia camps across the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon, and the Central African Republic.
Beyond direct killing, gorillas are also caught in snares set for other animals such as duiker and bush pig. These wire traps frequently sever gorilla fingers and hands, causing life-threatening infections. Anti-poaching rangers working in areas popular for gorilla trekking, such as Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda, perform regular snare removal patrols that have saved hundreds of gorillas’ lives over the past two decades.
Political instability and armed conflict
Much of gorilla territory overlaps with some of the world’s most politically unstable regions. In eastern DRC, decades of civil conflict have severely hampered conservation efforts in Virunga National Park, home to the largest population of mountain gorillas. Armed militia groups have occupied sections of the park, killed park rangers, and disrupted habitat monitoring and anti-poaching operations. Rangers at Virunga have paid an extraordinary price, with over 200 killed in the line of duty since the 1990s.
Political instability disrupts gorilla trekking tourism, a critical source of conservation funding, and forces conservation organisations to redirect resources from community development and habitat protection toward basic security operations, ultimately weakening the entire ecosystem of gorilla protection.
Where Do Mountain Gorillas Live?
The mountain gorilla’s habitat is limited to the Afromontane forests that lie at high elevations in the mountainous regions of Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The mountain gorillas’ habitat is mainly limited to these few protected regions in the above countries. The main protected areas in which the mountain gorillas live include the Virunga National Park, located in the DRC; Volcanoes National Park, situated in Rwanda; and the Mgahinga Gorilla National Park and the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, both located in Uganda.
How much does it cost to trek mountain gorillas?
The price of mountain gorilla trekking depends on different regions. For instance, in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park, the typical price is about $1,500 per trek per person due to the high demand within that region. On the other hand, if you decide to track these gorillas in Uganda, the trek will cost about $800 per person at either Bwindi Impenetrable Forest or Mgahinga National Park for a Uganda safari. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the cheapest option available is Virunga National Park, which costs about $400 per trek.
When to go for mountain gorilla trekking
There is an appropriate period for mountain gorilla trekking depending on the weather or climate patterns that exist. The favourable periods would be during the dry seasons, which mostly occur between June and September, as well as December and February, when the weather is much better. These seasons give one a higher chance of seeing mountain gorillas.
However, the rainforest environment exists throughout the year, thus the presence of mountain gorillas during any of the seasons. The wet seasons usually occur between March and May and October to November, and although this could lead to challenging trekking due to muddy trails, the number of tourists is lower than expected.
Packing tips for Gorilla Trekking safaris
While doing the gorilla trekking, you will require comfortable, durable walking shoes or boots. The ground conditions tend to be pretty muddy when there is heavy rain. There are parts where it might be an uphill terrain. It is also recommended that one wear long-sleeved shirts and pants because of protection against vegetation, nettles, and biting ants. The items you should pack for gorilla trekking include the following:
- Insect repellent
- Torch/flashlight – and spare batteries
- Wet wipes
- Water bottle
- Camera, lenses, etc.
- Comfortable walking/hiking boots and socks
- Gardening gloves for gorilla tracking
- Sandals/strop/walking shoes
- Hat and Sunscreen
- Rain jacket
- Sweater/fleece
- Swimwear
- Binoculars (game/bird watching)
How to Conserve Gorillas
All types of gorillas have been categorised as endangered species according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), where Cross River gorillas and mountain gorillas have been categorised as critically endangered species, with some having decreasing trends in their numbers. Many initiatives by both government organisations and non-government organisations have been undertaken in order to help protect gorillas from major threats such as loss of habitat, diseases, and poaching. Some of these initiatives include the following:
Education plays a very big role in ensuring that people understand the importance of protecting gorillas. Non-government organisations such as Endangered Species International offer education programs on how to conserve and protect gorillas, their significance and how to improve hygiene to avoid diseases.
The best way to fight off diseases is through the development of vaccines. Currently, scientists are developing a vaccine for the disease Ebola; however, this would be very costly to carry out.
It is essential that there is more security for the gorillas to protect them from poachers. There should be an increase in the number of forest rangers and areas where they have protection from hunting and from diseases.
Eco-tourism could help raise funds that would be used in environmental projects. In the case of gorillas, it needs to be well-regulated in order to ensure that diseases do not spread among them.
