Why are Mountain Gorillas Endangered
Mountain gorillas can only be found in three African countries in the world; these countries are Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic republic of Congo. Some African counties boast a lot to showcase, while this country has got these unique great apes that will make your safari encounter in Africa complete.
The mountain gorillas are critically endangered due to many reasons so it’s advisable for you to visit this country before they are pronounced extinct, though it may not happen in the nearby future, below are some of the reasons why mountain gorillas are endangered.
There are two species of gorillas: the lowland gorillas living in lowland forests and the mountain gorillas living over 10000 feet on the volcanoes’ mountain slopes.
Though gorillas are powerful and most likely one of the most feared animals, they are nice to be around; they are also affectionate and calm. Humans and gorillas share some things in common one interesting thing about gorillas is that they are very playful and beautiful to behold them in their natural habitat.
Habitat loss
The demand of commercial activities such as farming, mining and agriculture has led to loss of mountain gorilla habitats, as mountain gorillas feed on vegetation and build nests on trees where they can sleep. The cutting down of trees for commercial use has left many gorillas with no homes and no food to eat.
Clearing of roads
The making of roads in densely populated forests leading to deforestation has led to gorillas being endangered; this is because it has become easy for poachers to access the mountain gorillas, unlike in the earlier days when they had to clear the thick bushes all by themselves, which was very hard and tiresome.
Poaching
The need for game meat and to earn more income has made some of the locals hunt for gorillas. poaching is the main threat to non-habituated gorilla families who are not protected, the mountain gorillas that are habituated are less than 20 percent, making 80 percent exposed to poachers.
Exotic pets
Some people capture gorillas and keep them alive in order to sell them to foreigners who are interested in keeping pets. It’s also very unfortunate that most gorillas are victims of traps being set for other animals; this results in them having severe injuries or sometimes even dying.
Conflicts
The political status of a country can result in gorillas being endangered. countries like Congo have got unstable political wars; during the wars, most gorillas are endangered, as they can be accidentally killed or sometimes people flood the gorilla habitats, leaving them with no safe place to stay in.
Diseases
Gorillas are like humans that suffer from disease outbreaks; the most threatening is the Ebola virus that has killed many mountain gorillas. in 2003 one third of mountain gorillas were killed by the Ebola virus. There are also other diseases that affect mountain gorillas, such as intestinal parasites, hepatitis A, tuberculosis and polio. Gorillas can get infected with some diseases from humans so the more habitat loss, the more they come into close contact with humans; hence, the higher the risk of contracting diseases.
Before the good work of the late American primatologist Dian Fossey, gorillas were becoming extinct in the world. Thank God for her good work or else mountain gorillas would have been wiped out by now. The work of Dian Fossey and conservationists has led to the increase of gorillas compared to the 90s.
