Mountain Gorillas are arguably one of two subspecies of the eastern gorillas and one of the world’s largest living primates standing at 04 – 06 feet tall. These apes have muscular arms, a massive chest, and broad hands and feet — weighing up to about 135 – 220 Kilograms, and they have longer hair and shorter arms than their lowland cousins. Their thick black hair helps insulate them from cold weather since they live at altitudes of approximately 2400 – 4000 Meter Above Sea Level.
Mountain gorillas in Africa are found in two separate locations: the Virunga range of extinct volcanic mountains on the borders of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Rwanda, and Uganda, and in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda. Some primatologists believe the Bwindi gorillas may be a separate subspecies.
The mountain gorilla Population in Africa nearly went extinct in the 19th century if it were not for the interventional efforts of an American Pathologist named Diane Fossey that dedicated her life to studying and making known to the world the plight of the mountain gorillas up until she was killed by alleged poachers during her work in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park.
What is the current Mountain gorilla Population in Africa?
In about 100 years after the discovery of the mountain gorilla, the then population of gorilla has endured uncontrolled hunting, war, disease, destruction of its forest habitat, and capture for the illegal pet trade. All of this led to a drastic decline in the Mountain gorilla Population to the extent that it was feared that the mountain gorilla would become extinct in the same century it was discovered.
However, due to conservation efforts, the population of mountain gorillas has instead increased from about 620 individuals in 1989 to around 1,063 individuals today. This Mountain Gorilla Population is attributed to the intense monitoring through activities like Mountain Gorilla Tourism.
- The Virunga population of Gorillas has increased to 604, up from 480 in 2010, and lives at altitudes ranging from 2,300 – 4,500 Meters Above Sea Level. Most of these gorillas range within the southern part of Virunga National Park, DRC, and the Volcanoes National Park (Parc National des Volcans), northern Rwanda, while a few use the Mgahinga National Park, southwestern Uganda.
- The Bwindi population of Gorillas lives at elevations of 1,500- 2,300 m. A 2011 census recorded 459 individuals. The Bwindi population is spread across four designated mountain gorilla trekking locations often referred to as “Sectors”. These include; Buhoma, Ruhija, Rushaga, and Nkuringo.
