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Will eco tourism save the gorilla |
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With gorillas becoming more endangered due to poaching and destruction of their habitat could eco tourism be the answer. |
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| Author: Sean Cravenplan |
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Having suffered an unappreciated reduction in habitat, these beautiful apes are in ever growing danger of extinction.
There are 3 subspecies of gorillas living in different parts of Africa. The differences between them are very subtle, the 3 subspecies are.
· Western Lowland Gorilla (gorilla gorilla)
· Eastern Lowland Gorilla (gorilla graueri)
· Mountain Gorilla (gorilla berengei)
As with many differences between animal species the differences between the mountain and lowland gorilla are the result of their adaptation to the environment they live in, the high altitude of the mountain gorilla necessitate longer body hair for added warmth, higher foreheads, larger nostrils to aid breathing at high altitudes, broader chests to enclose the larger lungs, they also have shorter arms, shorter, wider hands and feet possibly as a result there being less dense forest at the higher altitude.
Extensive efforts have been made to attempt to ensure the continued survival of the gorilla in the wild but the erosion of habitat and poaching is a cause of worry, gorilla numbers are only approximate but the 3 species have only 15,000 – 30,000 animals left.
The breakdown between species is along the lines of
Western gorillas- A total of approximately 10,000-25,000 in Nigeria,
Central African Republic, Cameroon, Gabon, Congo, and Zaire.
Eastern gorillas – A total of approximately 4,000, in eastern Zaire.
Mountain gorillas – A total of approximately 620 in 285, and reducing all the time, square miles in the rain forests of Rwanda, Uganda and Zaire.
Gorillas are group animals in as much as they live in social groups of 2-25, in a typical social group you will find 1 dominant mature silverback and he is the alpha male of the group, there are 3-4 adult females, 1 immature silverback, one immature male and three - six youngsters below the age of eight.
Females in the group sometimes move to other groups, this cuts down interbreeding and the dangers this can cause a group, but of course as the numbers of gorillas and the groups they live in reduces the dangers of interbreeding grow and the gene pool is growing smaller.
The gorillas only predator is humans, this should be good news because you would reason that we would say to ourselves lets protect these gentle creatures and help them survive but the problem is we are destroying the habitat they are living in and poachers are killing them too.
Some dedicated groups are attempting to help halt this, money is the main driver behind the destruction of the habitats, so using the land for echo tourism is a great way to encourage the local people to preserve the land and animals that live on it.
What eco tourism aims to do is allow people to see the gorillas and other animals in their own habitat and educate and inspire these people to spread the word about the amazing experience and the danger these gorillas are in.
About Author
Volcanoes safaris specialise in organising gorilla safari amazing trips you will remember forever.
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