Mountain gorillas are the dominant primate in ape species. They are found in Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The mountain gorillas belong the Eastern gorilla specie.
Mountain gorillas are believed to be violent only when disturbed or when they detect an enemy. They do not initiate fights but defend themselves against danger. Gorillas move in groups which are led by mature male called silver back. They are humble but become violent when attacked.
Range: Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Uganda
The mountain gorilla, (gorilla beringei beringei) is one of the rarest gorilla species. It occurs in only two known populations within three Africa countries, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Uganda. These two gorilla populations live almost entirely within four national parks.
One of the gorilla population is spread around the extinct volcanoes of the Virunga Massif (450km²), which constitute a single contiguous area of mountain gorilla habitat over the three borders. These gorillas are protected within three gazetted national parks officially within Virunga National Park in the DRC, Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda.
The second population is found mainly in southwest Uganda, in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (331km²), on the border with DRC. The two areas are separated by 25 km of farmland (Sarmiento, E.E., Butynski, T.M., Kalina, J. 1996).
Mountain gorillas have been well studied over years and conservation efforts have started yielding positive results. These great apes are well protected though they are still facing various threats.
About Mountain Gorillas
Known to the scientists on 17 October 1902, presently there are approximately 880 mountain gorillas in the whole world and is a subspecies of eastern. Mountain gorillas live in forests high in the mountains, at elevations of 8,000 to 13,000 feet. They have longer hair, jaws and teeth, but slightly shorter arms, than the other subspecies, the eastern lowland gorilla. Adult males grow a patch of silver hair on their back and hips, giving them the name ‘silverback’.
Mountain gorillas are the dominant primate in ape species. They are found in Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The mountain gorillas belong the Eastern gorilla specie.
Mountain gorillas are believed to be violent only when disturbed or when they detect an enemy. They do not initiate fights but defend themselves against danger. Gorillas move in groups which are led by mature male called silver back. They are humble but become violent when attacked.
Though there are several globally recognizable conservation initiatives established to protect mountain gorillas like Friend a Gorilla, they continue facing major threats from habitat loss and poaching.
Unlike the lowland gorillas, Mountain gorillas have longer hair and shorter arms and larger than other gorillas and can also climb trees as others. Roughly, about only 880 mountain gorillas can be found alive on planet Earth and about 420 in Uganda, others can be tracked from the forests of the Virunga Mountains – central Africa, Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo. Mountain gorillas often like to establish their habitats on green, volcanic slopes and in areas that have seen much human violence from which the gorillas have not escaped untouched. They often feed on tree roots, fruits, tree barks and pulp and other kind of vegetated diet.
They are socially structured in their way of life where they divide themselves into different groupings(troops) of about 30 members (comprising of young males, some females, and their offspring), each being led by a silver back, a dominant elder (most especially older male) uniquely identified by a lining of silver hair adorning the dark fur.
This silverback is responsible for organizing and supervising routine activities like eating, nesting in leaves, and moving about the group’s 2-to-40-square-kilometer home range. Since they are our close cousins, though gorillas are generally calm and non aggressive, they also neither want to be challenged nor disturbed by other members from other groups. It is a role of the silverback to intimidate the enemies by frightening with impressive shows of physical power through standing upright, making aggressive charges, and pounding his huge chest with continuous powerful barks, hoots and roaring.
After a gestation period of 8 – 9 months, a female gorilla gives birth to a one two-kilogram-helpless-weak-tiny-infant only able to clutch to its mothers’ fur. It starts riding on its mothers’ back from age of 4 to 5 months till the age of 2 to 3 years where it is now able to walk a shorter distance that increases respectively to its age. Just like humans, gorillas at this stage are so playful, they chase themselves, climb trees not forgetting their funniest moment of swinging from tree branches.
In addition, through time gorillas have displayed significant intelligence recognised through continuous adaptation to simple human languages.
Threats to Mountain Gorilla Conservation
Mountain gorillas have got many threats and these have reduced their population in the three east African countries of Uganda, Rwanda as well as the DRC. Below are the main threats to the mountain gorillas.
Habitant loss; this is a primary threat to the gorillas and this comes from forest clearance as well as degradation, as the region’s growing human population struggles to the eke out living. The conversion of land for agriculture as well as competition for the limited natural resources like firewood leading to varying degrees of deforestation. The only way of maintaining gorilla habitat is to develop alternative economic activities that allow the people to meet their daily needs, so that they see the gorillas not as a competitor, but also as a means of improving their own situation.
Diseases: gorillas are closely related with the same similar anatomical as well as physiological features. This makes them so vulnerable to many of the same diseases. Since gorillas have not developed necessary immunity, the first time exposure to an illness or the virus that is innocuous to humans that might devastate the entire population. The gorillas live in small groups that might never recover from a sudden fall in numbers brought on by disease. Any human contact is potentially harmful and life threatening. The tourists who visit gorillas are ordered to keep their distance though the conservationists, scientists, rangers, poachers, militia as well as the local communities pose threats.
Poaching; this has continued to endanger the gorillas’ survival, killing of the mountain gorillas for food is extremely rare. It’s also a result of the unselective hunting with the snares, which are set to catch the antelopes, bush pigs, and many other wildlife species. Direct poaching of the gorillas, either killing them or capturing of the infants for the live animal trade, has remained a threat.
The region on going conflicts and civil unrest put gorillas at a risk, impacting people and wildlife, including gorillas. The infrastructural development that causes habitant loss as well as degradation, disruption to mountain gorilla health and the behaviours are an increasing threat to the gorillas and Climate change. This means that weak institutional management structures and a feeling of disenfranchisement among the local communities’ and the insufficient regional collaboration that all bring about serious challenges and the source of threats to gorillas.
Would you like to visit the mountain gorillas in person? Why not book an all inclusive gorilla safari in Uganda, Rwanda or the Democratic Republic of Congo with one of the local tour operators listed on this website.