Threat of Endangerment: The Mountain Gorilla

The mountain gorilla was first discovered roaming the Virunga Volcanoes in Rwanda (von Beringe, 2002, p.9). German Captain Robert von Beringe and his African soldiers stumbled upon two mountain gorillas around the volcanic region on October 17, 1902 (von Beringe, 2002, p.9). Von Beringe captured and killed one of them and sent the body to the Zoological Museum in Berlin, Germany. Professor Paul Matschie, who worked with the museum, identified the gorilla as a new class and named it after its founder: Gorilla beringei beringei (von Beringe, 2002, p.10). Twenty-three years later, American naturalist Carl Akeley persuaded King Albert of Belgium to turn a Belgian trust territory, near Rwanda, into a national park for the conservation of mountain gorillas. The Albert National Park, later named the Virunga National Park, was the first park established in Africa (Ngowi, 2002).

Between 1960 and 1980, American zoologists studied mountain gorillas. George Schaller spent one year doing basic study on the animal. Dian Fossey devoted her life to extensively studying and protecting mountain gorillas. Fossey moved to Rwanda to be closer to the animals and set up the Karisoke Research Center in 1967 (Robbins et al., 2001). She directed the center for thirteen years, learning the habits and gaining the acceptance of the mountain gorillas (Robbins et al., 2001). In 1983, she wrote a book, Gorillas in the Mist, to promote public awareness of the troubles mountain gorillas face. Her memoir was later made into a movie. Her relationship with mountain gorillas and concern for their safety was unmatched. She created an organization to save gorillas in 1978 called the Digit Fund, named after a mountain gorilla Fossey was close to (Robbins et al., 2001). After her mysterious death in 1985, the organization switched its name to the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International. Fossey contributed to much understanding of mountain gorillas.

Dian Fossey was so driven to protect mountain gorillas because they are an endangered species. Several threats have kept their population from thriving. One threat is disease, especially those which humans are equally as vulnerable to (Ferber, 2000). Tourists enjoy visiting the mountains of Rwanda to admire the gorillas and encourage their safety; however, humans help put mountain gorillas at risk. In 1999, a team of researchers with the Journal of Parasitology noted roundworm parasites in the feces of mountain gorillas (Ferber, 2000). These parasites normally have affected only humans through contaminated water. Early, in 1988, blood and tissue samples of several mountain gorillas indicated measles infection (Ferber, 2000). As soon as this was discovered, other healthy gorillas were given a vaccination to prevent further outbreak of the infection (Ferber, 2000). Until gorillas have built up immunities against diseases they contract from humans, disease is a large threat that could wipe out an entire population.

Another important threat to mountain gorillas is habitat loss. Currently, there are two patches of protected afromontane forest cleared between the borders of Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo with a total area of about 190 square miles for gorillas to roam freely (Rutagarama, 2001). The land in the confined area, though, will be pressured to provide agriculture for the plant-eating apes (Rutagarama, 2001). Limited natural resources leave the people living around the areas in competition with the gorilla population. Another problem with the confined area is that it has been fighting grounds for Rwandan forces in war, leaving undiscovered landmines, human feces, hazardous material, and weaponry to pose as threats (Rutagarama, 2001). The protected forest area, however, has been insecure for the safety of mountain gorillas during civil unrest in Africa.

After mountain gorillas were first discovered, over fifty