Mountain Gorilla Extinction Threats & Conservation

Mountain gorillas came very close to disappearing. So, why did mountain gorillas almost become extinct?

There are many reasons for this, and some of them are explained during tours.

Habitat loss: Habitat loss is one of the biggest reasons why mountain gorillas were disappearing. People have cut down forests to create space for homes and businesses. This has forced gorillas to move higher into the mountains. These high areas are colder and not good for their health. The cold can cause illnesses like pneumonia, which can be deadly.
Poaching: Poaching is another reason mountain gorillas were dying out. Some people kill gorillas to sell their meat to rich buyers who eat bush-meat. Others do it just to feed their families.
Diseases: Diseases like Ebola have also caused many gorillas to die. Mountain gorillas do not have strong immune systems to fight such diseases. Because they give birth to very few babies, these disease outbreaks have had a big effect on their numbers.
Illegal pet trade: Some people are paid a lot of money by foreigners to capture young gorillas. These gorillas are then taken to private zoos or kept as pets. However, gorillas cannot live well at low altitudes, and many of them die early. This has also reduced the mountain gorilla population.
Predators: Mountain gorillas do not have many natural enemies. However, leopards sometimes hunt them. Also, traps meant for other animals like antelopes can catch gorillas by mistake. These snares have injured or killed many gorillas in the forest.
Traditional medicine: Some traditional healers believe that parts of a gorilla’s body have special powers. They kill gorillas for use in rituals or to make medicine. This has added to their decline.
Killing gorillas for trophies: Some people kill gorillas just to show off. They display their body parts as trophies to look powerful. These people do not understand how important gorillas are to the environment and to local communities.
Silverbacks killing other males: Sometimes, Silverbacks (the adult male leaders) fight each other. After winning a fight, a Silverback may kill the young males in the group to stop future fights. Also, Silverbacks can get badly hurt in these fights and die later.

Because gorillas have very few babies, this also makes it harder for their population to grow again.