The western and eastern gorillas are the two main varieties of gorillas. The western lowland gorillas, often called the gorilla gorilla, and the Cross River gorilla, which is located in Cameroon and Nigeria, are the two subspecies of western gorillas. Mountain gorillas and Eastern Lowland gorillas, sometimes known as Gauer’s gorillas, are the two subspecies of Eastern gorillas. Of the four gorilla subspecies, Western lowland gorillas are the smallest but most prevalent.
The enormous swamps and woodlands of West and Central Africa are thought to be home to more than 360,000 western lowland gorillas. There are more than 550 Western lowland gorillas in zoos worldwide, and they do well in captivity.
Facts about Western Lowland Gorillas
Swamps and woods in central Africa, including Gabon, the Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Angola, and Cameroon, are home to western lowland gorillas. The Republic of Congo’s woods are home to the majority of the Western lowland gorilla populations. The vast majority of gorillas kept in zoos or captivity are western lowland gorillas. Despite being the smallest of all the gorilla subspecies, adults can weigh up to 270 kg in the wild and even more in captivity. They have been known to live up to 60 years in captivity and 40 years in the wild.
Being very gregarious primates, Western lowland gorillas rely on their community for survival. Groups of gorillas are led by a dominant Silverback. Silverback gorillas are intelligent and charismatic. When standing upright, a male silverback can reach a height of five feet and one inch. Gorillas are almost the same size as a male mature human, but they are seven times stronger. They lack tails, much as all other subspecies of gorillas. With the exception of the hands, feet, ears, and face, their entire body is covered in rough hair. The silver hair on the back of male gorillas is another distinguishing characteristic.
Western Lowland gorillas are highly intelligent primates. They can turn all sorts of materials into tools to help them get food or even measure the depth of a river before crossing. They have shown a remarkable ability to understand simple sign language while in captivity. The level of intelligence of an adult gorilla is thought to be at the same level as that of a human child.
Feeding habits of Western Lowland gorillas
As herbivorous primates, lowland gorillas eat for the majority of the day, taking only a midday rest. While children play among themselves, adults take naps during the noon break. Tree bark, roots, shoots, fruits, pulp, and wild berries make up the majority of their food. While some foods are staples, others are consumed in accordance with the changing seasons and rainfall. In a single day, an adult western lowland gorilla can consume up to 18 kg of food. Since the amount of destroyed forest and vegetation cover is increasing quickly, they don’t have to travel far to find food like other primates do. In pursuit of food, Western lowland gorillas typically travel 4 kilometers each day.
Nesting, Behavior and Social structure of Western lowland gorillas
Western lowland gorillas live in groups, just like other subspecies of gorillas. One silverback, around three unrelated females, and young are typically found in a group. Western lowland gorillas are more tolerant of non-relatives and gorillas from other groups than other gorilla subspecies. As they eat in wide clearings with salts or plants rich in minerals, several groups have been observed mingling freely and without violence.
Other subspecies, including as the mountain, cross-river, and eastern lowland gorillas, have not shown this tolerance for other gorilla populations. In contrast to other gorilla subspecies, infanticide is extremely uncommon among western lowland gorillas. This is due to the fact that even after a takeover, children of former dominant males have been seen to live contentedly with their mothers.
In addition to dictating group activities, the dominant silverback will defend the group from external threats. When to travel, eat, and nest are all decisions made by the silverback. In western lowland gorillas, the female usually initiates mating after ovulation. Due to their lack of territorial control, Western Lowland gorillas will move to new locations in pursuit of greater food. Gorillas construct their nests so they can sleep during the day and later at night. Usually, plant matter, leaves, and other tree branches make up the nest. The silverback sleeps on the ground to defend the family, even though young and other females may build nests on sturdy tree branches.
Strong relationships are formed between the dominant silverback and the females. In order to keep the female in the group, this link is crucial. Gorilla females don’t have children until they are around eight years old. The female leaves her original family to join another group or a lone silverback once she achieves sexual maturity. This is to prevent disputes that may occur when other females vie for the favors of the dominant Silverback.
In order to avoid being viewed as a danger to the dominant Silverback, young males also depart from the group at a specific age. Until a female selects him to begin dating, the young male can live alone or dwell with other lone males without necessarily joining another group.
In their lifespan, females give birth to four to six offspring. Their menopause never comes. An infant born into a family is dependent on the mother until they are around five years old. There are no outward signs of pregnancy in females, and they give birth after nine months. Lowland Western Chimpanzees, lions, buffaloes, and the majority of the big five mammals are more violent than gorillas, which are peaceful primates.
Unlike chimp clans, members of a gorilla group rarely fight or harbor resentment for very long. In order to promote harmony among the females, the silverback frequently steps in.Additionally, silverbacks are rarely aggressive toward other groups; instead, they may stand erect, bark, roar fearfully, tear up foliage, or pound their breast with their hands to scare off intruders.
Threats to Western Lowland Gorillas
Humans are the biggest threat to Western lowland gorillas. Diseases like the flu are spreading more widely when people build farms and communities closer to gorilla habitats. A simple virus can be fatal and catastrophic for gorillas, which have little to no antibodies against many human diseases. Humans hunt western lowland gorillas for bush meat, as pets, or to sell in zoos and circuses, in addition to the possibility of disease transmission. Local witch-doctors and medicine men make charms out of their body parts. Because they are less afraid of people than chimps, gorillas are typically more vulnerable to poaching.
If a silverback is attacked by poachers, he will defend his family. Due to their timidity, chimps will either climb trees or disappear in order to avoid being poached. In general, dominant chimps are not likely to protect their group if their own lives are in danger. Many adults in the group will often die as a result of capturing a newborn gorilla because they will fight to the death to protect their offspring. Poisoning is another major issue with gorillas, particularly in regions where they are viewed as pests for visiting human gardens, in addition to disease exposure and poaching. Illegal mining and logging are causing habitat destruction, which is arguably the biggest threat to gorillas.
Global warming, crocodiles (sometimes while crossing rivers), leopards (infrequently), and illnesses like Ebola are other risks to western lowland gorillas. Between 2002 and 2003, the Lossi refuge saw an Ebola outbreak that killed over 30% of the local monkeys. Another epidemic occurred in the Lokoué forest of Odzala-Kokoua National Park in 2004. The Republic of Congo’s western lowland gorilla population was significantly diminished by this outbreak. In contrast to other gorilla subspecies, western lowland gorilla groups communicate with one another, making it easy for diseases like Ebola to wipe out entire populations.
Why are western lowland gorillas more prone to poaching and many of the threats already mentioned?
The fact that western lowland gorillas inhabit several of the African nations most impacted by civil wars and instability should not be overlooked. Despite the fact that gorilla hunting is prohibited worldwide, restrictions are not always enforced effectively due to corruption and bad management. Because Uganda and Rwanda have stringent rules, mountain gorillas are comparatively unaffected by some of the issues that their cousins experience.
Note: It is generally believed that western lowland gorillas are the source of HIV/AIDS. This is because some strains of HIV-1 are identical to the Simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), which is present in some western lowland gorillas and chimpanzees. It is thought that consuming bush meat caused the virus to change and infect people.
Western Lowland Gorilla Conservation
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) was compelled to classify Western lowland gorillas extremely endangered despite their significant population size due to the deadly Ebola outbreaks among these primates. The dangers to western lowland gorillas have been promptly addressed by African nations, with assistance from gorilla conservation groups such as the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), and zoos throughout the world.
In the Congo Basin, WCS collaborates closely with local communities to support gorilla and other wildlife conservation initiatives. They support the implementation of regulations and other measures aimed at curbing the trade in bush meat. Additionally, WCS assists the local communities that live around primates in finding other sources of food rather than hunting them.
WWF launched the African Great Apes Program to fund gorilla tracking systems, reinforce protected areas, encourage sustainable development, and research an Ebola vaccine in order to aid in the conservation of all gorilla subspecies. In the Central African Republic’s Dzanga Sangha Protected Area, Cameroon’s Lobeke National Park, and the Republic of Congo’s Nouabale-Ndoki National Park, the initiative is highly active. Additionally, USAID, the French Cooperation, the World Bank, GTZ, and the WCS support the initiative. Mefou National Park in Cameroon, Monte Alén National Park in Equatorial Guinea, and Dzanga-Sangha in the Central African Republic are among the gorilla conservation programs that the Bristol Zoological Society supports in addition to WCS and WWF.
How can you help as an individual?
By traveling to see western lowland gorillas, you may personally contribute to gorilla conservation efforts. In Africa, the proceeds from gorilla tourism significantly contribute to the funding of conservation initiatives. Communities near gorilla habitats are less inclined to engage in or tolerate poaching as they witness the advantages of gorilla tourism. Gorillas can also be adopted or donated through the WWF or zoos. Lastly, just telling your friends about gorilla conservation efforts is another way you can help.
Western Lowland Gorilla Trekking
Perhaps you want to see them in the wild of Africa after seeing them so many times in zoos. The Léfini Reserve in Congo Brazaville, the Odzala National Park in Congo Brazaville, the Dzanga-Ndoki National Park in the Central African Republic, the Cabinda enclave in Angola, the Moukalaba-Doudou National Park in Gabon, the Lopé National Park in Gabon, and the Loango National Park in Gabon are all home to wild western lowland gorillas. It is more difficult to hike for Western lowland gorillas than to track mountain gorillas. It involves journeying farther into Africa’s most remote regions.In order to find the gorillas, you must be ready to walk for many hours through a deep forest.
Compared to western lowland gorillas, mountain gorillas are more likely to be seen. This is due to the fact that the majority of lowland gorilla groups in the western hemisphere inhabit far more isolated woods, some of which have never been fully explored by humans. The majority of lowland gorillas in the West are not habituated. Staying in concealed enclosures and waiting for them to emerge into a clearing is the only way to see them without frightening them away.
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