![]() ![]() “The cultural significance of this forest is critical,” says Ekwoge Abwe, Ph.D., postdoctoral fellow at San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance and manager of the Ebo Forest Research Project. We concentrate our gorilla conservation efforts through the African Forest Program based in Cameroon’s Ebo Forest, one of the largest and most ecologically intact rainforests remaining in the Gulf of Guinea Biodiversity Hotspot (encompassing around half of the Yabassi Kew Biodiversity Area), and home to more than 50 globally threatened plant and animal species on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. “Everything about the health of the forest is reflected in the health of the communities,” says Bethan Morgan, Ph.D., head of San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance’s African Forest Program. Our work to protect gorillas is done in tandem with local communities in Central Africa. Wildlife trafficking, including the pet and bushmeat trades, is also responsible for disease epidemics such as the Ebola virus that has recently decimated some gorilla populations. Once in the pet trade, gorillas face a lonely life without proper care. The illegal pet trade also poses a threat poachers kill several troop members to catch a single infant gorilla. Illegal bushmeat hunting continues to be a lucrative commercial activity in the region, and while gorillas may not always be direct targets, some individuals die or lose limbs after being accidentally trapped in snares targeting other mammals. These activities also bring humans and gorillas into closer proximity, heightening the risk of disease transmission. Logging and mining companies destroy gorilla habitat across their range in Central Africa to meet demand for paper products and materials for our electronic devices. The rampant destruction of fragile forest habitat is one of the greatest threats to gorilla survival. Gorillas have no natural enemies or predators, yet these great apes are at critical risk because of humans. They depend upon the forest, and the forest depends upon them, too. Gorillas spend their days foraging for vegetation and their nights tucked into leafy nests. ![]() They are social, expressive, thoughtful, and intelligent. ![]() Large, muscular, and serious-looking, many people think of gorillas as wildlife to fear-especially the formidable silverback that leads each troop. Despite their reputation, gorillas are peaceful creatures. IUCN Conservation Status: Critically Endangered ![]()
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