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The Mountain Gorilla
One of Rwanda 's most celebrated national treasures is the Mountain Gorilla. An extremely rare and endangered species, only approximately 380 of these creatures remain in the world today. These gorillas live in the Virunga Mountain region which spreads across three countries, The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda , and Rwanda . Their environment consists of 285 square miles of high-elevation rain forest and it is the loss of this habitat which poses the greatest threat to their existence as well as poaching, disease, and war. Despite their endangered status the gorillas have until recently been one of the conservation's most important success stories, due in large part to the tireless work of the late Dian Fossey. In more recent years however, the 1994 genocide and subsequent creation of refugee camps with 750,000 people living in poverty on the borders of the gorillas' reserves, have threatened almost 20 years of conservation effort. An important aspect of Mountain Gorillas is that none have ever survived in captivity, thereby highlighting the need to protect their fragile habitat. Mountain Gorillas were first introduced to Western science in 1902 when a German Captain, Robert von Beringe, traveling in the Virunga mountains, shot and killed two gorillas. The first in depth study of Mountain Gorilla behavior was begun in the 1950s by George Schaller, whose pioneer work in the field formed the starting point for the later and more renowned study done by Dian Fossey. The Mountain gorillas are generally much larger than other races of gorilla, males can reach up to 6 feet in height and weigh up to 400 pounds, the females tend to be slightly smaller. The males are known as silverbacks due to the black hair on their backs turning silver when they reach maturity. They are highly social creatures and move in defined troops from 5 up to 50 animals. The troops usually consist of a silverback male, several females and their young; the silverback leads and dominates the troop until he either dies or is overthrown by another male. Since the gorillas can live more than several decades, it is possible for one male to lead such a troop well into his 30s. Contrary to the poplar image of a dangerous and intimidating creature, due to their large and powerful physique, gorillas are surprisingly gentle and affectionate and they are not aggressive towards humans unless threatened. They survive on a mainly vegetarian diet, which includes a variety of different plant species, as well as insects and live an easygoing and playful life, typically moving less than 1 km a day. While the gorilla has few natural enemies, their long term survival is threatened by the deforestation of their habitat, poachers, and increased exposure to human-borne diseases. Increased tourism to the Volcanoes National Park is vital to their continued existence and many companies now offer gorilla trekking tours to give visitors the unique opportunity to observe these beautiful creatures in their natural habitat. To learn more about Rwanda's mountain gorillas, check out these links.
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