Why We Should Care About Gorillas

By S. Terrazas

We should care a lot if gorillas are endangered (or in this case any animal not just gorillas) because if they disappear from the face of the earth that will damage the circle of life. We are in the circle of life too, keep that in mind.

Dozens of gorillas die in a year. Today only about 2,500 remain in the wild, and only a few dozen live in the world's zoos. The eastern lowland gorilla population has declined significantly in recent decades. If this keeps up gorillas will become extinct. This is a very sad matter. Because they are not only dieing they are also being brutally killed and are being infected with diseases.

Only 700 mountain gorillas exist in the world. More than half live in the Virunga conservation area. (A huge swath of territory at the intersection of Congo, Rwanda and Uganda.) Rebels loyal to warlord Laurent Nkunda battled over the park in their clashes with the army. the poor gorillas are in the middle of this. 10 have been killed this year. If this keeps up there will be more gorillas, because they are being killed faster than they can reproduce.

Gorillas are also dieing from diseases like Ebola. Ebola kills through massive internal bleeding. It has been known to infect gorillas and chimps in Africa. It wasdiscovered in 1976 and has killed about 1,000 PEOPLE, these people probably got the disease by eating or touching infected meat from wild primates. Ebola is believed to be one of the world's most deadly diseases. It can be passed on be touching or eating primates and/or people.) It has no known cure. Between 50% and 90% of the people that got infected die. Among humans, the disease often burns out before spreading far. Thats a good thing, dieing from Ebola must be a painful death!

In Congo gorillas are hunted for their fur and for their meat. Gorillas are hunted by native people for their meat, known as bushmeat, to eat or sell, for body parts that are used for amulets or traded as souvenirs, and for protecting crops that gorillas destroy.Hunting and poaching are the leading threats to gorilla populations throughout Africa. Gorillas are shot, speared, and trapped for their meat as well as for trophies. Gorillas are sometimes caught in traps for smaller animals and die of infected wounds. Their survival is also threatened by habitatdestruction caused by agriculture and logging. Human populations in central Africa are increasing, which means that the gorillas' population will continue to shrink.

These poor creatures are being killed for no reason at all. When trees are being logged instead of just leaving them there to die with no vegetation or shelter they can be put in reservations. Why would people eat gorilla meat? Its probably infected too. I would be scared, plus there is cows. People like wearing animal fur. I'm not totally for that or against it. Hey i love looking good and having the nicest stuff. But there is also artificial fur that is really similar. I wouldn't like to wear a a gorilla tooth around my neck. I have my own i carry around with me. Animal statues have no purpose at all. Why would people like having a dead gorilla in their living room its not like you can play with it. We really need to think about how we treat other species.

Other gorilla facts:
Habitat: The western lowland gorilla is found in the African countries of Cameroon, Central African Republic, Gabon, Congo, and Equatorial Guinea. The easternmost range of the western lowland gorilla is the Oubangui River. The eastern lowland gorilla is found in eastern Zaire. The mountain gorilla is found within limited mountainous regions of Zaire, Rwanda, and Uganda at altitudes of 1,650 to 3,790 m (5,413-12,435 ft.). Western lowland gorillas inhabit tropical rain forests, forest edges and clearings, riverine forests, swamps, and abandoned, cultivated fields.

Gorillas Adult female gorillas tend to be shorter than adult males, and weigh only half as much. Females average 1.4 m (4.6 ft) and 90 kg (198 lb.). Males average 1.7 m (5.6 ft.) and 180 kg (397 lb.).A gorilla has a stocky build with a broad, shallow chest, a short trunk and longer arms than legs. Long arms show the gorilla's tree-dwelling ancestry even though it is now mostly on ground. The thumb and big toe opposeable allowing gorillas to grasp and/or manipulate objects. All great apes exhibit a capacity for complex learning. In behavioral research facilities, some gorillas have learned sign language and formed very simple sentences to communicate with people. They are really smart.

Baby Gorillas: A newborn gorilla weighs about 1.4 to 1.8 kg (3-4 lb.). Newborn gorillas are totally dependent on their mother for care and are clutched belly-to-belly for close contact for the first few months. At about two months they have developed enough strength and coordination to cling to their mother's hair unsupported 50% of the day. Juveniles are weaned at about 2 1/2 years and begin building their own nests for sleeping.An infant gorilla begins crawling at about nine weeks, riding on its mother's back at about 16 weeks, walking at about 35 weeks, and wandering among group members at about one year. Gorilla babies develop physical skills about twice as fast as human babies. Silverbacks are tolerant parents that successfully rear weaned orphaned or abandoned juveniles.