Great Gorillas

Category: About Gorillas

  • How Do Gorillas Behave in the Wild?

    Some Gorillas live in the very lowlands while others are in the extreme elevations of the mountains. Many gorillas live in Africa along the forests and swamps. Others live in the mountain region like in Virunga Mountains.

    Gorillas move every single day for food and water and to look for a place to sleep that night- anew next is built every evening. They don’t remain in one place which is very interesting.

    Gorillas mostly move to areas with plenty of food. In fact, they can walk up in the morning and consume food – they spend most of their day time eating.

    After a morning of playing and eating, the gorillas get ready for an afternoon nap. If the place has plenty of food, they can stay there for some few days but all in all, they have to build a new nest for every night. They make it out of leaves and twigs and they never sleep in the same one twice! However, the reason for this is still a hypothesis.

    Young Gorillas sleeps in a nest with their mother until they are about 3 years of age. At that point they will start to make their own nests but often sleep very close to her.

    In gorilla groups, the dominant male (silverback) is generally the first to pick a place to put a nest and then the others will settle around him.

    The fact that Gorillas move every day for food and water, they are not restricted. They move freely and they tend to pass each other often out there in the wild. Most of the time these interactions are friendly or they happen without any real interaction at all.

    In Case a gorilla from another group invades another troop to capture dominance- there breaks up a serious fight.

    In Case of any attack from Gorilla predator, the silverbacks have a task to defend the entire troop. The silverbacks go to the front line and alert others to be a ware that danger has come.

    They tend to enjoy the terrain that is flat as they are able to move around on it much easier. However, they also have the ability to climb over rocky areas and to get into places that most humans would be exhausted moving around in.

    For the most parts they spend time on the ground though. Climbing is generally reserved for getting to the various sources of food that they need.

    Gorillas don’t spend too much time close to the water because they do not consume much of it due to moisture that is in their food stuffs like leaves, stems, fruits. More so, Gorillas are not good at swimming and they fear to sink.

    You can easily identify where gorillas stayed in the past few days- Gorillas tend to feed along the way that shows they have been through there recently. Another sign is that, you can easily find nests where gorillas slept in the past.

    If they have been in an area recently, it may smell like sweat from humans. They will also leave behind quite a bit of waste from their bodies so the smell you come upon may not be one you want to have lingering! You can get to see the gorillas in their natural wild by taking a gorilla safari in Uganda, Rwanda or Congo.

  • Why Are Mountain Gorillas Still Endangered?

    Have you ever imagined why mountain gorillas feature as the most critically endangered species in the world? With fewer than 1000 individuals that are left in the world today, the rare mountain gorillas are listed under IUCN Red book as the critically endangered Apes in the world and their survival on earth is at risk of extinction.

    They are scientifically known as gorilla beringei beringei, a sub species of Eastern gorilla which is only thriving within the jungles of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Southwestern Uganda; Volcanoes National Park in Northwestern Rwanda and the Virunga National Park in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). There are a million reasons why these rare apes are listed as the most critically endangered species on today and among many include the following;

    Habitat loss

    Like most wildlife species that thrive on earth today, the mountain gorillas are also interfaced with habitat loss. Most of areas where these unique creatures thrive are highly populated and their habitats are often deforested and replaced with agricultural farms, firewood, building materials as well as for human settlements. The other factor is traditional medicine as most of body parts of these endangered apes are highly used as charms by most of the traditional healers and this also has become a threat to their survival on earth.

    Illegal hunting (poaching)

    This is another severe threat to the survival of these rare apes. Since 1902, mountain gorillas have been hunted for various reasons including food up to date. In the DRC, most of the people poach these rare species mainly for their meat. Others poach these Great apes for sport and not to leave out the illegal exotic pet trade poses another threat where babies are captured and sold. Whereas most of the traps are set to catch the small animals like antelopes, in the course of the day the mountain gorillas too get entangled in these wire snares.

    Political unrest

    Besides habitat loss and poaching, the country’s political insecurity also proves to be a severe threat. Civil wars come with diverse effects which include habitat loss and illegal hunting and all these make the lives of these rare apes hard while in their natural habitat.

    Oil and gas exploration

    This also proves a severe threat to the thriving of these Great apes. The European oil and gas companies have been granted exploration concessions in the Virunga National Park where more than 200 individuals of these large primates thrive in the DRC. Whereas the habitat isn’t within an oil concession, the development in the protected area could negatively inflict on the wildlife’s security.

    Human infectious diseases

    Mountain gorillas share about 95% of their DNA with humans and this means that they are very susceptible to human infectious diseases. They already have the severe disease effects to overcome and the further threat of human infectious diseases especially flue and cold can cost their lives. The first time exposure to these illnesses, can cost their population in the habitat.

    In conclusion, mountain gorillas have a slow reproduction rate and yet also they are most threatened apes in the world today. There is need for collaborative effort to conserve these critically endangered primates on earth so as to help increase their number in the wild.

    These endangered apes can be saved by selling out gorilla trekking permits to generate more money that can help to support environmental programs like conserving and protection of mountain gorillas and provide alternative sources of income for local residents around the parks.