Globally, many animals are at some type of risk of extinction, which is why they have been included in the red list, which was created by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in order to describe the current situation of each species and the causes that originate its state of risk.
Gorillas, peculiar animals native to Africa, are not exempt from the serious problems facing the planet's animal biodiversity. On our site we want you to know the situation of these hominids, so we present this article on gorillas in danger of extinction Keep reading and document yourself on the subject.
Are gorillas endangered?
The IUCN has established a scale on the red list where it places the species according to the situation in which its populations are found. The aforementioned scale has nine levels and we can say that the last four of these are the most worrying, since they correspond to the following categories: endangered, critically endangered, extinct in the wild and extinct.
For their part, the gorillas yes are at risk and are located specifically at the level of critically endangered, which is undoubtedly a dramatic situation because after this level they could become extinct in the wild.
There are two species of gorillas, the western gorilla (Gorilla gorilla) and the eastern gorilla (Gorilla beringei), each of which has two subspecies. Both gorilla species are critically endangered due to the terrible pressures their populations face.
Why are gorillas endangered?
There are several reasons why gorillas are in danger of extinction, however, they all have the same origin: Human beings are the most responsibleof this terrible tragedy.
Let's learn about the various causes of this situation:
- Hunting: is one of the main reasons for the population decline of gorillas, who are heavily hunted for various reasons. First, we can mention that in the different areas of gorilla habitat, people consume their meat and, given the deficiency of other types of animals that are usually used for human consumption, attention has been placed on gorillas, who are killed to be eaten. Additionally, this meat is sold at high prices in other regions. On the other hand, several of these areas are exploited by activities such as mining and logging, so the presence of gorillas is a problem to develop these actions, which in addition to putting them to the limit, cause terrible damage to ecosystems. In this sense, many of these primates are killed to carry out the aforementioned activities. Placing certain types of traps to capture other animals also affects the species in question, who often end up trapped and eventually die.
- Habitat loss: Gorillas inhabit dense forests in various African areas, and while some of these were long virtually inaccessible, Human activities for mining and resource extraction have considerably affected these spaces, so the habitat of these animals has been suffering a strong impact in recent decades. Many remote areas that were places inhabited by primates have now been occupied, since they can be reached through established roads and thus be able to develop activities such as mining, coal extraction, wood and agriculture.
- Diseases: These animals are susceptible to various viral diseases. The main one has been caused by the Ebola virus, which has caused a massive death toll of gorilla populations. On the other hand, contact with humans has also made them suffer from some respiratory diseases and others caused by the human herpes virus.
- Human conflicts: Some areas of Africa have been affected by social conflicts, which have led to armed groups taking over areas natural, including protected ones. With the incursion of these into the gorilla habitat, the activities mentioned above have intensified, but, in addition, the availability of weapons has allowed them to hunt these animals, who have also been decimated as a result of this situation.
- Climate change: Predictions about climate change and its global impact are not encouraging at all. It is estimated that the ecosystems of these apes may suffer alterations due to changes in rainfall patterns, which would also undoubtedly influence the availability of various plants that are important sources of food. Get to know all the details of the feeding of gorillas in this other article. On the other hand, some areas would be more susceptible to fires, which would also put these animals at risk.
How to protect gorillas?
From a legal point of view, all gorillas are protected by laws, which prohibit their hunting or capture. However, the evidence on population levels shows that these legal instruments have not been enough to protect them effectively.
Gorillas have been included in appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and in class A of the African Convention, which establishes international conventions to promote their protection. There are conservation plans for gorilla species, some proposed by the IUCN. However, the main measure to protect them is of a governmental nature, since the political issue is immersed in these situations that affect these animals. In this sense, the commitment to maintain, expand and safeguard the protected areas where gorillas live is necessary, since not all of them are in legally protected spaces.
Research is vital to continue monitoring these species and to continue providing possible actions to try to increase population levels. As we have seen, these are actions in which it is very difficult for citizens to participate in order to support and protect gorillas, however, there are at least three aspects in which we can participate:
- Collaborating with donations to programs that develop research activities for the conservation of gorillas.
- Not attending shows where they use gorillas or any other animal as a center of entertainment.
- Disseminating information about the current situation of gorillas so that more people join at least these three actions.
Gorillas are in danger of extinction and it is everyone's responsibility to prevent them from disappearing. Unfortunately, they are not the only animals at risk of disappearing, in this other article we show The most endangered animals in the world.
