Did you know that 2009 is the Year of the Gorilla? What’s that you say? EVERY year should be year of the Gorilla? Well, of course you’re right. Not only are these animals incredibly gentle and intelligent, they also possess feelings of compassion and empathy.
There are three main types of Gorilla; the Western Lowland Gorilla, the Eastern Lowland Gorilla, and the Mountain Gorilla. Many people are familiar with the Mountain Gorilla through the work of Dian Fossey, while most of the gorillas found in zoos are Western Lowland gorillas.
Eastern Lowland Gorilla
As their names might suggest, Mountain Gorillas inhabit the cloud forests of central Africa, while the lowland gorilla species are found in low lying, swampy areas near the central African coasts. Due to factors such as deforestation and habitat loss, mineral mining, bushmeat, the pet trade, and civil war, all gorilla species are either endangered or critically endangered.
The Houston Zoo has included Mountain Gorillas in their educational lecture series this fall, so make sure to get your tickets now! If you’re a bit more adventurous, (and by adventurous I mean dress up in a gorilla suit and run a 4K fundraiser race in London), visit one of my favorite websites, gorillas.org. Seriously, you can never go wrong dressed up as a gorilla.
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Because most gorillas in zoos are lowland gorillas, Americans don't have as many opportunities to experience the beautiful mountain gorillas described so well by Dian Fossey. I found this documentary to be a great intro to mountain gorillas: http://www.explore.org/explore/africa/films/176 . Educational opportunities like this and the Houston Zoo's educational lecture series can do a lot to increase understanding of these creatures that seem so human.
P.S. I'm curious… why does the Foreign Policy Blog site have a picture of a baby gorilla?
Thanks for your comment and the link! It’s encouraging to know that there are other gorilla lovers out there.
The Foreign Policy Blog had a short piece a few years ago about gorillas in the Congo and the rebels that inhabit the park and hunt gorillas (not to mention welfare workers). If you’d like to read the blog entry, here is the site: http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2007/05/25/gorilla_warfare
Unfortunately, this was two years ago and still this is a daily occurrence in the Virunga National Park. Part of the problem is that the park spans three different countries, which means three different governments enforcing different rules and regulations. And sadly, the gorillas are the ones that lose out in this situation.