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    Gorillas like to spend their days at home with the family. They live in close-knit groups of five to 30 gorillas led by a patriarch - the large,dominant male called a silverback because of the distinctive grey saddle pattern that grows in at maturity.Even when they wander, gorillas rarely venture far - usually staying within a range of roughly 15 square miles in search of the shoots and berries they live on. Their only natural enemy are people and human actions are placing gorillas in grave danger of becoming extinct. Conflict, poaching and logging are forcing gorillas off their land and threatening their survival. Differing only slightly in size, build and colouring, there are actually three sub-species of gorillas - the Eastern Lowland Gorilla, the Western Lowland Gorilla and the Mountain Gorilla. All three inhabit the mountain and rainforests of western and central Africa. Commercial logging and increased agriculture in these areas are reducing the forest homes of the great apes. No longer protected by the dense foliage, it is easier for hunters to trap and kill the animal and the gorillas are more susceptible to poaching. Often portrayed as violent and dangerous, gorillas are really gentle, intelligent creatures. Displays of aggression occur when the family unit, particularly babies, is in danger. The silverback male will rise up on his hind legs, pound his chest and bare his teeth. Unfortunately, these very actions to protect themselves also make gorillas an easy target for poachers. Unrest in the Great Lakes region of Africa has proved disastrous for gorillas and humans alike. During the 1990s, violent conflict in Rwanda large numbers of people to fled their homes and sought refuge in Virunga National Park. Refugees were forced to harvest firewood from the national forest and also killed gorillas in their own struggle for survival. The Mountain Gorilla population suffered greatly with the killings of four silverbacks as well as other members of the group. The national park was looted, and equipment and infrastructure destroyed. Even though the refugees left in 1996, residual conflict and the presence of armed groups in the area have limited conservation efforts. Even before these tragic events in Rwanda, gorilla numbers were down. By the time conservation efforts began in earnest during the 1970s some gorilla populations had dropped below 300 individuals. Today, it is difficult to estimate the actual numbers killed because poachers often butcher and eat gorillas on the spot, leaving no remains. Diane Fossey's Mountain Gorilla Project brought gorilla tourism to Rwanda and educated local people on the economic benefits of saving the primates. Focussed on park protection, tourist development and conservation education, the program was so successful that gorilla tourism became the third largest earner of foreign currency in Rwanda. Poaching decreased and the gorillas began to make a comeback. However, even as gorilla tourism has raised awareness about the plight of the great apes, there are drawbacks. Gorillas are susceptible to human ailments such as mange, measles and intestinal parasites, and as they spend more time in proximity of humans, the risk of disease increases. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) launched the Great Apes Survival Project (GRASP), an alliance of conservation and research organizations, to help governments, wildlife departments, academics, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and UN agencies work together to halt the decline of the great ape populations. As part of a global effort to protect the planet and the animals that inhabit it, UNEP administers one of the world's largest conservation agreements, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Gorilla meat, or bushmeat, which trades domestically, does not fall under the mandate of CITES, but is considered illegal practice. A working group is looking at the trade of bushmeat, locally and internationally, in hopes of finding an agreeable solution for all involved parties. To date, 160 governments are bound to the Convention, which offers varying protection to more than 35,000 species of animals and plants. Not a single species protected by CITES has become extinct since the agreement started in 1975
LEARN MORE how the UN works with its partners around the world to save endangered species. Go to the links at the side of the page. Photo credit: UN |
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