Mountain Gorilla - PG008

Mountain Gorilla (Gorilla beringei)

The Mountain Gorilla is confined to the mountain and subalpine environments and is found on the volcanic slopes of Rwanda, Uganda, and Zaire. This type of gorilla is very black and densely furred, with broad face and massive jaws.

Gorillas have a well developed social structure, living and traveling in family groups, which vary is size from 2-35 individuals, but are more frequently in the range of 5-10. Group compositions varies between groups and subspecies but in Mountain Gorillas, it usually consists of a single dominant silver black male, three adult female and four or five offspring.

Of the great apes, the gorilla shows the most stable grouping patterns. The same adult individuals travel together for months and usually years at a time. It is because gorillas are mainly leaf-eating that they can afford to live in these relatively permanent groupings.

International trade in love gorillas and gorilla products, which was once a significant threat to the species, has declined since the gorilla was listed on Appendix I of the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in 1977. Estimates of Mountain Gorilla population, currently estimated at approximately 620 individuals, are considered to the the accurate, having been intensely monitored since the 1950's

Legislation to control hunting and capture of gorillas exists is several African countries with gorilla populations, but only in one - Congo - is the species totally protected by law.

If the gorilla is to be saved, international conservation agencies must support existing reserves and create new ones. WCS works with the local people to value gorilla and the forests in which they live. WCS funds programs for the conservation, eduction, and the development of tourism whereby live wild gorillas become a source of income.