Mountain Gorilla

Hi everybody,

This post is going to be about the critically endangered mountain gorilla. The name “mountain” gorilla comes from the fact that they live in very highly elevated forests. These mountain forests can range from 8 to 13 thousand feet. With very long fur to keep them warm in their cold climate, these gorillas weigh up to 440 pounds and stand about five feet tall when on two legs. The main threats towards these apes are: habitat destruction, disease, charcoal production, and poaching. The poaching is not directly meant for the gorillas, but they can be hurt or killed by traps set for other animals. Inside a gorilla habitat, there is much charcoal harvested to sell and use for fuel and this has caused habitat destruction. The other habitat destruction that harms the gorillas is when humans want to move farther into their forest environment. Much land is cleared for human use, and even though some areas are protected from being destroyed, illegal settlers harm the surroundings anyway. About 880 mountain gorillas are left in the world today.

 So far, conservation efforts have been successful, but there are never too many supporters! For more info on how to help preserve them, check out the World Wild Life page on mountain gorillas

Well that’s a wrap, so until next time,

SVR