A recent survey by the World Wildlife Fund, a global conservation organization, brings promising news for the highly endangered mountain gorillas of Eastern Africa. Thanks to determined conservation efforts, the population has grown by 12 percent over the past decade, translating to an annual growth rate of about one percent per year. However, the total population remains dangerously low at only 700 individuals, indicating that ongoing protection and monitoring will be vital to the continued survival of this species.
Status and Threats
The mountain gorilla, a subspecies of the eastern gorilla, is the largest of the great apes, with mature males averaging 400 pounds in the wild. Found only in the African countries of Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), mountain gorillas face numerous human threats, including habitat loss, poaching for bushmeat, disease, and decades of civil unrest. Most recently, a five year war in the DRC (1998-2003) killed an estimated three to four million people and left many others displaced and impoverished, relying primarily on forest resources and bushmeat to survive.
Current Protection
Mountain gorilla habitat is protected with national park status, but human encroachment is a problem. Earlier this year, a rebel group killed and ate two adult male gorillas in Virunga National Park in the DRC. The two slain individuals lived in the wild but had been habituated to human presence to serve the thousands of foreign tourists who pay roughly roughly $400 per person for one afternoon of gorilla tracking, thus highlighting the dangers of removing gorillas' natural fear of humans.
RELATED LINKS:
World Wildlife Fund Gorillas Information
2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
EarthTrends
Protected areas and species data
Ecotourism and Conservation: Are They Compatible?
News: Indonesian Deforestation Threatens Endangered Orangutans
