Why is gorilla endangered

Why is gorilla endangered

Gorillas are often portrayed as savage beasts that are big and scary with the likes of King Kong” and as protagonist in movies like Conan the Barbarian” and ”Tarzan”. In reality, gorillas are peaceful and friendly in nature. And because of this, gorillas made it possible for us humans to study their personality, habitat, eating habits, and the likes, to understand the creature that are said to have the closest  link with humans having 97% to 98% of DNA matching.

However, the future generation may not have the opportunity to see and learn more about the specie of the largest primate that existed today because of the posing threats in the very survival of gorillas. And the most common reason why gorillas are endangered is mainly because of humans.

Gorillas are endangered because of the continuous human invasion in their natural territory. Gorillas which are first believed to be tree dwelling are in fact living on vacant fields, damped stumpy land forest, clearings, swamps, and ends of forests that are occupied and exploited by humans for their own use and survival. In captivity, gorillas can live up to fifty years however in the wild their lives are cut off by fifteen years shorter.

Communal hostilities and political conflicts in Africa have also caused the lives of many gorillas as refuges are pushed into gorilla’s living environment. Gorillas are killed in their own habitat by fighting men to avoid the noises that are created by gorillas whenever they are protecting their turf, or they are killed to serve as sustenance by the rebels and soldiers alike while in the forest.

Another threat on gorillas’ existence are poaching and hunting. Humans hunt gorillas for their meat used in bushmeat” trade that are illegal, or to be used in circus acts. Gorillas are also endangered by humans as they are exposed to sickness like mange, measles, and intestinal parasites. Reports showed that in 2004 and 2006, the number of gorillas that died was alarmingly high because of an Ebola outbreak that happened in Africa.