Planting trees for the World Gorilla Day. There are two main species of gorillas: the eastern gorilla and the western gorilla.
The primary threats to gorillas include habitat destruction (due to logging, mining, and agricultural expansion), hunting (both for bushmeat and due to human-wildlife conflicts), disease (notably the Ebola virus), and civil unrest in certain regions.
Three petition links here to help protect gorillas: Petition 1: Protect The Mountain Gorilla From Habitat Destruction, Poachers and Disease - The Mountain Gorilla is one of the 10 most endangered animals on Earth, and it may not be here much longer. For decades, mountain gorilla populations have been dwindling as uncontrolled hunting, disease, habitat loss and the ravages of human conflict have taken their toll. The mountain gorilla are now considered endangered. https://theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/clicktogive/ars/petition/mountain-gorillas
Petition 3: Eastern gorillas have suffered a 77% decrease from a population of about 16,900 to 3,800 gorillas over the space of 20 years. What makes these statistics a bit scary is the fact that this decrease in population occurred within a generation of gorillas. This percentage of decrease is almost three times the normal rate that qualifies a species as a critically endangered species. https://www.change.org/p/save-the-eastern-gorillas Photo credit - Tina Götz
Gorillas are one of the most endangered apes, whose population counts between 100,000 and 200,000 specimens. These giant apes are from Equatorial Africa and display behaviour and emotions surprisingly similar to humans. We, humans, actually share non less than 98.3% of our genetic code with them. Along with chimpanzees and bonobos, we all descend from a single common ape-like ancestry. The powerful mountain gorillas are now critically endangered with only around 880 left in the wild. “They’re found in high-altitude mountain and bamboo forests – sometimes at elevations of 4,000m – where they mainly eat leaves, shoots and stems. To coincide with World Gorilla Day, we’d like to invite you to get to know more about this critically endangered species and how they desperately need your help. We've got four simple - and fun - ways to show your support this #WorldGorillaDay; from learning more about this incredible species, to crafting a colourful gorilla mask or purchasing one of our striking gorilla badges!” https://www.wwf.org.uk/get-involved/schools/calendar/world-gorilla-day Photo Credit - Bonnie Layland
Not to be disrespectful but most people (probably) only know about King Kong as a gorilla. Poster from 2005 Lowland gorillas are #2 on the Red list of endangered animals.
"Gorillas, like all wild animals, play an important role in their environment. Without these large-scale grazers eating lots of vegetation, the natural balance in the food chain would be disrupted. This could negatively affect other wildlife in the area, and ultimately the people who depend on that environment for food, water and other resources."
I think people often forget how little we really know about the natural world, and how everything is connected. We simply don't know how other animals, or the environment where they love, would be affected if a species goes extinct. It is so important to look after all habitats, and all creatures, no matter how small.
