Gorillas are endangered

Even though all gorilla species are in danger, there is yet some hope. In the wild, gorillas confront a variety of dangers, including sickness and the bushmeat trade, but habitat degradation has a particularly negative impact on their populations. Gorilla populations are being forced into ever-tinier areas of land by industries like agriculture, forestry, and mining. Due to poaching and habitat devastation, mountain gorilla numbers had fallen to about 600 by 1989, but aggressive conservation efforts have since brought that number up to more than 1,050. Poachers and habitat destruction pose a threat to the eastern lowland gorilla. It is exceedingly challenging for the guards in Kahuzi-Biega National Park to keep the visitors safe because of the continuous civil violence in the area.

Although there are more western lowland gorillas than any other subspecies, they lose an estimated 5% of their population annually for three main reasons: Baby gorillas are abducted from their parents and sold as pets, and they are murdered for human consumption as bushmeat. They also have portions of their bodies employed in mystical charms. The destruction of their rainforest habitat due to logging of the trees is another hazard. Last but not least, gorillas are prone to many of the same illnesses that affect humans, and Ebola has wiped off up to one-third of the wild western lowland gorilla population.