Why is the eastern lowland gorilla endangered

Last reviewed: November The critically endangered designation, assigned by the International Union for Conservation of Nature IUCN , indicates that this animal faces the highest possible risk of going extinct in the wild.

The previous population analysis of the eastern lowland gorilla was last done in ; at that time, these gorillas were estimated to number approximately 17, Today, fewer than individuals remain. The predominant cause of the gorillas' population decline is the years of civil war and resettlement in and around the Democratic Republic of Congo. The consequent elimination of secure oversight of the low-altitude tropical rainforests in the eastern half of the country, to which Grauer's gorillas are confined, allowed the animals to be decimated by a combination of deforestation and forest fragmentation, as well as by hunters for the illegal bushmeat trade.

Without concerted, sustained conservation efforts, the eastern lowland gorilla may be extinct within 5 years. See also: Conservation species ; Deforestation: a global concern ; Endangered species ; Extinction biology ; Population ecology ; Population viability ; Rainforest.

Gorillas genus Gorilla are the largest living primates. These great apes are endemic to the forests of central Africa and comprise two species, each subdivided into two subspecies: the western gorilla G. The latter subspecies was named after the Austrian zoologist Rudolf Grauer, who identified it in the early s.

Species Identification T here are two recognized gorilla species the Eastern Gorilla and Western Gorilla, defined by the areas in Africa which they inhabit. All subspecies live in varying habitats, have unique physical characteristics and have differing populations. Eastern Gorilla Gorilla beringei Two subspecies exists: Species: Eastern Lowland Gorilla Scientific name: Gorilla beringei graueri Location: Democratic Republic of Congo Population: Less than Conservation status: Endangered Physical characteristics: Largest of gorilla sub species, longer arms than the mountain gorilla and shorter hair and teeth.

Larger body and longer hair than eastern lowland gorilla. Species: Cross River Gorilla Scientific name: Gorilla gorilla diehli Population: Approximately Conservation Status: Critically Endangered Physical characteristics: Smaller skull and teeth than other gorilla as well as shorter hands and feet. Physical Characteristics G orillas are quadrupedal meaning they move around by walking on their knuckles, their huge arms provide balance and support for their large frames. Farmers cut down trees, burn land and plant grass for cows.

Refusing the anthropocentric vision and respecting the laws of ecology is the only way to safeguard the future of our and all other species, Sea Shepherd President Paul Watson argues in this op-ed.

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