Facts About Mountain Gorillas In East Africa
Gorillas are one of the most interesting and symbolic animals throughout the African continent. Extremely powerful with their gentle characteristics and fascinating intelligence, these primates are our immediate living relative, with an approximate similarity in DNA of 98% with human beings. Gorillas have generated a lot of tourism and research activity in East Africa, where thousands of people come to see them each year, especially the rare and endangered mountain gorilla in Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
With that said, the interesting details about gorillas found in East Africa are worth discussing based on their behaviour, place of residence, protection, and cultural importance.
Two Major Species, one in East Africa
Gorillas have two species, the eastern gorilla (Gorilla beringei) and western gorilla (Gorilla gorilla). East Africa is home to the eastern gorilla, which is subdivided into two subtypes:
Gorilla beringei beringei, mountain gorilla
Lowland gorilla, eastern (Gorilla beringei graueri)
The best known is the mountain gorilla, which ranges only in the Virunga Mountains (on the border of Rwanda, Uganda, and the DRC) and in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in southwestern Uganda.
Mountain gorillas do not live in Captivity
The mountain gorillas have never been long-lived in zoos like other primates. Any attempt to hold them in captivity has proved futile, mainly due to their extreme species-specific demands of the dietary, environmental, and social requirements. That is why the in-situ conservation of them, like conservation in their natural habitat, is so urgent.
They live in Families and are led by a Silverback
Gorillas are social creatures, and they exist in groups also known as troops, which are normally composed of 5 to 30 gorillas. Such communities are headed by a powerful male called a silverback, who is so adorned after the distinctive silver-hair growth that appears on his back as he matures. The silverback has the role of leading the group and thus making overall decisions, defending the group against the threat, and ending the conflict.
Gorillas Are Herbivores
Herbivorous, the gorillas are rather large animals and have great strength despite their formidable size. They mainly eat Leaves, Shoots, Stems, Fruit and Bark.
There are more than 100 species of plants that gorillas feed on in Bwindi. Sometimes they are liable to swallow ants or insects, but this is not usual.
They are extremely bright.
Gorillas exhibit mind-boggling intelligence encompassing the ability to use tools, learn sign language (as is the case with gorillas in zoos) and emotional expressions like ready to laugh, sad and the ability to sympathise. Gorillas in the wild have been perceived to use sticks to measure water depth and improvise crude beds by tying leaves and sticks together.
Mountain gorillas are endangered
Mountain gorillas have faced the risk of extinction, and only 300 mountain gorillas remained in the wild in the 1980s. Their populations have now increased to more than 1,000 due to the massive conservation measures undertaken, hence becoming one of the few wildlife conservation success stories. Nevertheless, they are still in danger of going extinct because:
Habitat loss
Poaching
Transmission of human disease
Political unrest in their zones of employment
They form Behaviours of Ecotourism
Trekking with gorillas in East Africa is one of the biggest tourist attractions and a generator of local economies. Gorilla trekking licenses are mandatory in Rwanda and Uganda, and cost between 700 and 1500 USD and all money is contributed to conservation and community development. Under close supervision, tourists are normally permitted to spend a period of one hour with a habituated family of gorillas.
Every Gorilla possesses a distinct nose print
Similar to the fingerprints of humans, the nose of every gorilla is different. Noses of gorillas are photographed as a means to identify different individuals and thus enable researchers to monitor population size as well as variations in behaviour over time.
Gorillas can be infected with Human Diseases
Gorillas are very sensitive to respiratory diseases and other diseases that affect humans, given that they are genetically very similar to the human species. One of the reasons is that tourists are pushed to keep a distance of 7 meters between them and the gorillas during a trek, and people should avoid the trek in case they are feeling ill.
They communicate by means of vocalisation and Gesture
Gorillas have more than 25 different vocalisations with which they communicate with various individuals. These are grunts, barks, hoots and screams. They also express their intentions and emotions through facial expressions and body language- chest beating, grooming, and eye contact.
Infants are very needy
Gorillas spend their early years in the care of their mothers since they are born with an eight- and a half gestation period. In the wild, infant mortality is very high as a result of predation, sickness, or infanticide by other males. A silverback will have a central role in defending young gorillas and typically rear an orphan infant.
Conservation Is a Community Effect Initiative
Local communities are used in successful gorilla conservation in East Africa. There are also organisations such as the International Gorilla Conservation Programme (IGCP) and the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund that collaborate with governments and with communities to:
License park rangers
Facilitate ecotourism
Give education and health care
Propose alternative means of livelihood to restrict poaching
Dian Fossey’s legacy lives on
Most of what the world is aware of mountain gorillas can be attributed to the work done by Dian Fossey, who was an American primatologist who spent 18 years studying the mountain gorilla in Rwanda. Her revolutionary studies and passionate displays of action to conserve them attempted to rally a global effort towards them. Dian was later killed and murdered in 1985, but her name lives on through the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund.
Their Habitat is under Threat due to Climate Change
Gorillas are inhabitants of the montane forests and bamboo forests that are on the receiving end of the climate change effects. Increase in temperatures and changes in weather patterns may change vegetation and decrease food supplies. The conservationists are currently developing climate adaptation strategies in order to keep such a delicate ecology safe.
Gorillas will hardly be aggressive without a reason
These creatures are mostly peaceful and shy in nature, although they are large and strong. Aggression is not common and most of the time is only seen when threatened by the group. It is a chest-beating behaviour by a silverback which is not commonly well understood; it is meant either as a warning or demonstration of power, not necessarily an imminent danger.
Conclusion
More than tourist attractions, gorillas in East Africa are intelligent and gregarious creatures that are critical to the well-being of their forest communities. With years of conservation efforts on the side of conservationists, governments, and local people, their future is brightening. Nonetheless, increased awareness is still needed to conserve these peaceful giant animals for future generations.
