Gorilla Conservation
GORILLA CONSERVATION
Like all the other great apes, gorillas are endangered. Some
subspecies are in fact listed as critically endangered, and
unless a concerted worldwide effort is made, this magnificent
species will unfortunately go the way of the dodo. The reason
why this has to be a worldwide effort may not be immediately
obvious, so let's first identify the current and most pervasive
threats to the gorilla.
BUSHMEAT TRADE -- Although wild animal meat has long
been part of the staple diet of indigenous forest dwellers, the
rate at which these animals are being slaughtered has reached
alarming new levels. This increase is most likely a direct
consequence of deforestation. As things stand today the bushmeat
trade is the single greatest threat to the survival of the
gorilla.
VANISHING HABITAT -- As mankind's seemingly insatiable
appetite for land (slotted for commercial use) continues
unabated, in its wake lie the ruins of large tracts of forest
and other habitats once home to many an endangered species. As
mentioned earlier, the upward spiral in the bushmeat trade is a
direct result of deforestation which in some measure is
responsible for:
* increased access to previously inaccessible forest areas
* employees involved with deforestation killing the local
wildlife to cater for their needs
* opportunistic commercial hunters profit by killing previously
inaccessible wildlife and sell the meat to the logging/timber
company employees * those same hunters can more easily export
bushmeat to urban areas (which effectively translates into a
bigger market) because of the new roads and other
infrastructures associated with deforestation activity
* an upsurge in hostile encounters between people and gorillas
(crop raiding/damage to farm crops)
COLLATERAL DAMAGE -- The bushmeat trade is not restricted
to apes alone. As far as the hunter is concerned any animal
caught in his snare is fair game. Frequently gorillas run into
snares intended for other animals, and even if they escape, may
end up losing the ensnared limb and ultimately dying.
ANIMALS ILLEGALLY IN CAPTIVITY--Up until the 1980's
gorilla infants were often illegally captured and sold to
recepient zoos. Usually the capture of the infant meant the
deaths of several adult gorillas, because there was no way a
troop of gorillas was going to allow the forced removal of one
of its own without a fight. Happily though this situation
rarely, if ever, happens today. Most gorillas currently residing
in zoos were born there. In fact the majority of young animals
captured illegally could be considered as collateral damage to
the bushmeat trade...survivors to the slaughter of their
parents.
SUMMARY
To summarize, the most immediate threats to the survivial of the
gorilla and other great apes are:
* The Bushmeat Trade
* Deforestation and habitat loss
Saving the gorillas can only be successfully achieved through
the combination of grassroot and international efforts.
International commerce is the driving force behind
deforestation, which directly impacts the gorillas by destroying
their habitat and by facilitating the bushmeat trade.
Furthermore, the loss of forest land also affects the indigenous
people, and may drive persons who were otherwise not so
inclined, into hunting and the bushmeat trade to make ends meet.