Alpha male. Get the hell out of this guys back yard. Mountain Gorilla

by Daniel Mackie January 17, 2012

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.
illustration of a gorilla, habitat loss
Image © Daniel Mackie
View Daniel Mackie’s illustration portfolio.
Check out Daniel's Shop

Daniel Mackie

Author

Comments will be approved before showing up.

Also in News / Work in progress / Mythology

Kingfisher - Halcyon Days

by Daniel Mackie March 12, 2021

In Greek mythology, Halcyone and Ceyx were lovers who incurred the wrath of the god Zeus by mocking him and his wife. Angered, Zeus killed Ceyx.

Belling The Cat- Aesop's Fable

by Daniel Mackie December 30, 2020

Ideas are nothing, execution is everything.
Belling the Cat is a fable first recored in the 12th ceuntry. A group of mice debate plans to neutralise the threat of a marauding cat. One of them has an idea of placing a bell around its neck, so that they will be warned of its approach. The others applaud the plan, until one mouse asks who will volunteer to place the bell on the cat. All of them make excuses!

Tiger in Buckinghamsire!

by Daniel Mackie June 14, 2020

This is Mack's Tiger. It was part of a school project based on my work and a theme of animals in the natural habitat. Mack created this on Procreate on his mums iPad