The estimated total number of Mountain Gorillas worldwide is 790. Oh dear. Guess what the reason for their decline in numbers is.
Habitat loss, the encroachment of settlements into areas where the mountain gorilla lives. Agriculture, pastoral expansion and logging have all impacted upon the gorilla population.
This situation is bad enough but it has been further impacted by the fact that Mountain Gorillas live in political unstable places, Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) All these areas have had War and civil unrest.
Tourists have had the unfortunate effect of allowing transmission of diseases from humans to the gorillas. Poaching is also a problem. Abduction of infants for illegal selling to zoos and as pets. This often results in other adult gorillas being killed in the process.
What a mess. If you were a mountain gorilla I’m sure you’d be at a loss for words by the seemingly systematic destruction of your people. Mountain Gorillas, no surprise are listed as critically endangered by the ICUN.
This illustration in progress is of the mountain Gorilla with his natural environment inside him.
Image © Daniel Mackie
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