Please click here to read the first part of this
blog series.
Mountain Gorillas
face a variety of threats in their day-to-day lives. When two mountain gorilla
groups cross paths, there is a chance for confrontations as Silverbacks try to
acquire females from the other group. The same happens when an adult Silverback
tries to overthrow the reigning Silverback to take over his group. But, in most
of the instances, gorillas indulge in chest-beating and bluff charges, at which
point, the confrontation is called off. Gorillas are very gentle by nature,
quite contrary to movies like ‘King Kong’ and always try to avoid violent
confrontation as much as possible.
Gorillas also face
danger from leopards, which often prey on them.
But the Mountain
Gorillas face their biggest danger from Man himself.
- Poaching – Gorillas often fall victim to traps,
intended NOT for them but other animals like pigs. In addition, baby
gorillas are sought by poachers for the illegal pet trade and this leads
to the entire Gorilla family getting massacred.
- Civil
Wars – The Civil Wars have
led to mines being placed in the forests, leading to heavy fatalities
among the Mountain Gorillas
- Loss of Habitat – Right next to the forests frequented
by Gorillas, there are human settlements. As humans take up more and more
land for cultivation and other purposes, this leads to habitat loss and
gorillas end up raiding the crops for food, leading to retaliation and
further gorilla deaths.
- Close contact with human beings – Gorillas are highly susceptible to
human diseases. This means that in addition to the poachers, gorillas are
at a very high risk even from volunteers and conservationists, who are
dedicated to protecting the lives of Gorillas.
