Mountain Gorillas Mountain Gorilla Conservation Gorillas on the Rebound Continuing Threats How tourism is helping to protect the Mountain Gorillas? Dr Dian Fossey Mountain Gorillas (The Mountain Gorilla Conservation Fund) All of the Mountain Gorillas in the world live in the mountains of Africa. Specifically in Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Uganda. Gorillas are the largest living primates on Earth. There are three kinds of gorillas: 1) Eastern Lowland Gorillas, which reside in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; 2) Western Lowland Gorillas which live only in West Africa and: 3) Mountain Gorillas, which are only found in Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Gorillas are listed as one of the top 10 most endangered species on Earth. There are approximately 355 gorillas in the Volcano and Virunga Mountains of Rwanda and Congo and another separate group of 300 in Uganda's Impenetrable Forest. There are no Mountain Gorillas living outside of their native mountain forest home. Gorillas are protected by international law. Capturing or killing gorillas and other endangered species is illegal. There are no Mountain Gorillas living in captivity and very few Eastern Lowland Gorillas. The gorillas seen in captivity are usually Western lowland gorillas. Although Mountain Gorillas have been living in the mountains of Africa for a very long time they have only recently been scientifically identified. Captain Robert von Beringe officially identified them in 1902 and as a result the scientific name for the Mountain Gorilla is Gorilla Gorilla Beringei. Andreas von Beringe, grandson, recently visited Mountain Gorillas for the first time in 2002. There are no territorial boundaries of families but the family's range from 2 to 15 square miles. When a silverback leaves a group he usually spends 3 years waiting for a female to be attracted to him from another group. Females transfer at least once before mating at 8 years of age. The females decide who they are going to allow into their family. If a gorilla wants to join another group and the females do not want her in, they will scratch her in the face and keep her out. If a female wants to leave a group to find a male she likes better, but the other females like her very much, they will grab her by the legs and not allow her to leave. When an adult female is sexually mature she will leave the group to mate with a silverback outside of her group. She chooses who she will mate with, but the females of the group decide if they will allow her into the group. As the head female grooms the dominant silverback, you can see that this is teaching the other gorillas by showing them. The length of time spent grooming a silverback is accomplished by the females in descending order of when they entered the group. Female gorillas will wean their young at about 3 years of age and can be bred between 6 1/2 and 9 years of age. Gestation lasts 8 to 9 months. Infants stay within 6 feet of their mothers until 6 months of age. From their birth, infants must use their hands and arms to hang on to the underside of their mother. Their shorter legs and stumpy toes are used only around their mother's stomach. After 4 months of age they begin to ride on their mother's back. Female gorillas weigh approximately 350 pounds and adult male gorillas can weigh approximately 700 pounds. Adult gorillas can be seven feet tall with an arm span of 8 feet. They eat 58 different types of plant species, including stems, roots, leaves, flowers, thistles, ferns, tree wood and bamboo shoots. Galium vines are favorites as well as berries, fruit and celery. They occasionally will climb trees. Gorillas have much larger teeth in the back of their mouth than humans do so that they can grind foliage, bark and bamboo. Gorillas are only active part of the day and build nests in different locations each evening. The nests are built of bulky vegetation mostly Lobelia and Senecio branches. Nests can be built on the ground as well as the trees. They start building nests at age three after sharing their mother's nest. Gorilla groups spend about 40 percent resting, 30 percent eating, and 30 percent traveling. Gorillas are frequently found eating in unprotected garbage pits, which contain a variety of trash including human toilet waste. This exposes the gorillas to infection and disease that is a major risk to this highly endangered species.The Mountain Gorilla Conservation Fund has been working to construct covered garbage pits.These pits are designed to keep the gorillas from getting to the trash. A major problem that the veterinarians have had is removing the gorillas from snares that have been set by people. These snares are set to catch animals for humans to eat, but gorillas also get caught in these snares. A hole is dug in the ground and then some branches are put over the top of a rope or wire snare.The animal dies unless he can have the snare removed and wound treated. A wire snare can ruin a gorilla's eating ability by cutting off its fingers. Gorillas exhibit behaviors similar to humans. They are curious, they can be bored, they can be bold, they can be annoyed, they can have pleasure, they can be excited, they can be afraid, they can worry, they can show affection, they can be thoughtful or they can be hostile. Gorillas like to study people to see if they are friendly. Communication between gorillas is accomplished by stomach rumbling which means they are contented, a pig grunt of harsh staccato grunts used when disciplining or complaining. A roar or scream is given when a gorilla is threatened. A loud hoot or roar is given when silverbacks are interacting. This is done by chest beating and thrashing of trees. When gorillas are afraid they send out a powerful odor from their glands. Interactions between social units by silverbacks accounts for over 60 percent of all wounds on gorillas. Gorillas can recover amazingly well. They live in cohesive social units known as groups. Typical groups consist of 1 dominant silverback, which is a sexually mature male that is 15 years old, that is the group's definite leader and weighs at least 400 pounds or twice the size of a female. A least one blackback, which is a sexually mature male between 8 - 14 years and remains with the group if he does not challenge the dominant silverback. If he does not dominate, blackbacks will leave the group to establish their own group. There are several sexually mature females over 8 years old who are usually bonded to the dominant silverback for life; several immature young adults and juveniles over 3 years; and several infants from birth to 3 years. An adult male is called a silverback. He gets his silver fur when he is between 10-13 years old. Group size can number over 40 individuals. The long period of association with the parents, elders and siblings offer the gorilla a unique and serene family bonding. Some gorillas have been identified to live over 40 years. The Mountain Gorilla Conservation Fund is proud to work with these amazing animals. Mountain Gorilla Conservation (American Wildlife Foundation (AWF)) Reason to Hope The Virunga Heartland features the last remaining habitat of one of the world's rarest primates, the mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei). This charismatic animal is the flagship species for the conservation of the entire array of wildlife and habitat that make up this unique part of the planet. AWF has been working to protect mountain gorillas for several decades, funding important research and working to ensure the survival of the mountain gorilla since the late 1970s. This important work has continued in spite of extraordinary circumstances. The human suffering during the Rwandan civil war of the 1990s was incalculable, but without the intervention and continued support of AWF and its partners, the victims of war might also have included the mountain gorilla. Thanks to the bravery and dedication of park rangers - some 70 of whom lost their lives - the Virunga mountain gorillas survived the war and the more recent conflicts in the DRC. Gorillas on the Rebound In fact, the population of mountain gorillas has grown in the past decade. The first census of the Virunga population in 15 years showed an increase of 17 percent in the gorilla population in the Virungas. Together with the 320 living in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda, the total number of mountain gorillas is now approximately 700. In 2004, the unprecedented birth and survival of gorilla twins provides all involved in gorilla conservation with a renewed sense of hope. Continuing Threats Despite reasons for optimism, death and extinction are constant threats for the mountain gorilla. Historically, mountain gorillas have been threatened by poaching, loss of habitat from population pressures, civil unrest and spread of disease. And as human populations get closer to gorilla habitats, the gorillas are at greater risk of contracting human diseases, from flu-like problems and pneumonia to ebola. Fortunately, conservation efforts initiated by the International Gorilla Conservation Program (IGCP), a coalition of the African Wildlife Foundation, Fauna and Flora International and World Wide Fund for Nature, have helped to ensure that the gorilla population will endure. Through a variety of methods, including transboundary collaboration, ranger-based monitoring, community development, anti-poaching activities and habitat conservation, IGCP and its conservation partners are helping the mountain gorillas to make a comeback. The IGCP, in collaboration with AWF, works with local people to benefit both the gorillas and the community. One program teaches hygiene and sanitation to improve health while another works with the locals to develop new business opportunities. One of these initiatives is the community gift shop in Rwanda, which sells locally made handicrafts and food items. As much as 80 percent of the profits will go to fund other community projects while the remaining 20 percent will be reinvested in the shop. AWF is also working with the local people and the private sector to design and construct a community-owned tourist lodge that will substantially benefit the local people who share their backyards with gorillas and other wildlife. Funding research to protect these magnificent animals and conserve their homeland is vital. Despite the good news of a growing population, mountain gorillas are still critically endangered. We must not be complacent. The slow rate of reproduction among mountain gorillas makes the challenge of keeping the population stable a difficult one. With continued international cooperation and funding, AWF and its partners will continue to protect this fragile species. How tourism is helping to protect the Mountain Gorillas? There are strong arguments for and against tourists visiting Gorilla families. Namely as Gorillas are very close genetically to humans they are susceptible to human diseases but do not have the resistance like we do. Hence there are certain rules and regulations which must be followed by tourist groups when visiting the Gorilla families - these are Internationally recognised guidelines which are adhered to in DR Congo, Rwanda and Ugandan Wildlife Authorities and rangers. These guidelines aim to minimise the actual and potential impact on gorilla families. However, tourism helps raise international awareness of the need to protect mountain gorillas by taking issues out of the "conservation and academic worlds" and into a wider public awareness schema. A percentage of the money spent trekking the mountain gorillas is spent on conservation efforts to protect their existence. Further, Rwanda, Uganda and DR Congo benefit as a result of tourism - most people visiting these countries do not just come to see the mountain gorillas but spend time in other parts of the country - this creates an industry of its own, supporting local economies and increasing employment opportunities for local people. Areas that your money goes toward include;
Dr. Dian Fossey (1932-1985) Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund (DFGF) Dr Dian Fossey was murdered by an unknown attacker in her cabin at the Karisoke Research Center in the Virunga Mountains in 1985. The attacker hacked her to death by what investigators believe to be a machete. They entered through a hole in the wall prior to the attack. No arrests have ever been made, but local authorities believe it to be poachers who were at odds with Dian and her anti-poaching brigade of but a few soldiers. She died after 22 years of dedication to protecting the critically endangered Mountain Gorillas. Dian Fossey arrived in Africa in 1963 and after her first encounter with the mountain gorillas and her meeting with Dr Louis Leakey she was determined to dedicate her life to working with mountain gorillas. After a brief visit back to the US she moved to Congo and then Rwanda in 1966 to embark on her life studies. In 1967 she established the Karioke Research Centre in Rwanda. The centre was between two volcanic mountain ranges, Mt Karisimbi and Mt Visoke on the border to DR Congo. She later housed her anti-poaching patrols there as headquarters to stop the slaying of gorillas. The research center also brought in other scientists to study different aspects of the gorillas biology. Her pioneering work with the gorillas has forever changed the ways animals are studied in the wild. Her observations of gorillas behavior, dispelled myths about the mountain gorillas violence. She sat unharmed, within a few feet of them almost everyday for 22 years. She also noted many vocalistics and behavior patterns within their each family of gorillas she had observed. Dian became very involved with one particular gorilla, Digit, who was later beheaded by poachers. Dian set up the Digit Fund (now the DFGF) to attract international support for gorilla conservation. In 1974 she received a Ph. D. in zoology. Dian's biggest challenge was stopping the active poaching of mountain gorillas. The poachers would kill mountain gorillas and cut off their heads, hands and feet in order to sell. She also was threatened to be kicked out by the government because she suspected involvement with the poachers and Rwandan government. She continuously had to legalize her paper and work permits to further her work. Dian Fossey's murder remains a mystery. Although she may have died protecting the critically endangered mountain gorillas her work still continues through several agencies and funds established in her honor. Several books have been written about her life and research. The film "Gorillas in the Mist" played an integral part in highlighting public awareness about the mountain gorillas.
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