Gorillas, one of the closest relatives to humans in the animal kingdom, have fascinated scientists and the general public for decades. Mountain gorillas, native to Africa, are one of the biggest species of gorillas there are. Humans have studied these creatures for decades and it has been taught to these gorillas that humans mean no harm. Unfortunately, this is not true any longer. These already endangered specie has been exposed to human poaching and war, killing at least ten in the Democratic Republic of Congo, one of the only places left where these giants live.
There are only 700 gorillas left in the world, according to Flora and Fauna International, and they mostly live in the forests of African nations like Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In countries like Rwanda and Uganda, these gorillas are well-protected. They live in national preserved forests and parks where poaching is banned. Tourists from all over the world flock to these nations to see the remaining of the mountain gorillas, making tourism a big part of both the countries economy.
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, war and fighting has taken place for the last ten years. Because of lack of government aid and financial resources, the country cannot afford to protect the gorillas like it's neighbors. It has been reported that in 2006 ten mountain gorillas have been shot to death. It has not been reported how many have been found dead in 2007, but there is no expected decrease of gorilla deaths because the fighting has not seized.
If nothing is done to protect these gorillas soon, the number of them will decrease at a rapid pace. It might only take a couple of years for the Mountain gorilla to be added to our list of extinct species. But, there has been several efforts by the United Nations and other environmental groups to help protect these mammals. With more funding, I believe that we can help these gorillas thrive like they once did.
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