Posts Tagged ‘Gorilla’

Jul
14

Art of Conservation is Saving Gorillas by Inspiring Childern

Posted by Renee in Africa,Endangered Species,Gorilla,community-based conservation

We are proud to partner with an inspirational organization called Art of Conservation.  The Art of Conservation project commenced in 2007 and works in poor rural communities bordering Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda.  Kids are given the opportunity to connect with nature and endangered species through various forms of art.  The focus of the program is to empower the kids and instill a sense of pride and respect for the environment and for each other.   

Every kid(including myself) loves to dress up and pretend.  What better way to enstill a deeper empathy and understanding for their local endangered species then to have the kids imagine being the species?   Each year in June during Igitaramo, a cultural festival that celebrates Rwanda’s environment and biodiversity, AoC students put on song and dance performances while wearing the masks.

For “Mu Birunga,” a song about mountain gorillas, students get to wear these gorilla masks; for “Heroes of the Forest,” a song about the many different wild animals that inhabit Rwanda, costumed children depict more than 10 different species.

Staff artists craft these beautiful animal masks in the Art of Conservation studio, depicting mountain gorillas, golden monkeys, forest buffaloes, and other species that inhabit Rwanda’s national parks. The artists sculpt masks using clay molds and papier mache, and hand paint each to look as realistic as possible.

Youth programs are critical to the success of  any conservation effort.  AoC approaches learning through a unique method, using visual, auditory, and performance arts to teach lessons and inspire creativity in its students.

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Dec
30

Art of Conservation

Posted by Peter in Africa,Featured,Gorilla

I attended an evening event last week in support of Art of Conservation (AoC). Hosted by Maverick Images, the Gallery of Michael Loyd Young  in Missouri City, TX, I was truly fascinated by what one persons inspiration can accomplish.

Art of Conservation, Inc. works in poor rural communities surrounding Parc National des Volcans (PNV) in Rwanda, teaching schoolchildren about the importance of maintaining a healthy environment for both people and animals and instilling them with an understanding and respect for themselves, their peers, and the natural world. AoC is led by Julie Ghrist and her team, Valerie Akuredusenge, Eric Mutabazi, Innocent Uwizeye and Fahad Ndangiza.

aoc_logoThe idea is the brainchild of Julie Ghrist who puts all her time and effort into establishing a truly exceptional program which addresses the health and education of the communities surrounding the Virunga Mountains in Rwanda, home to approximaltey half of the 700+ Mountain Gorillas remaining in the world.

Take a few minutes to view the programs website and the children’s artwork at http://www.art-of-conservation.com/ and Julie’s blog at http://artforgorillas.wildlifedirect.org/

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Aug
14

Year of the Gorilla Part 10: Final Thoughts

Posted by Peter in Africa,Animal Origins & Fun Facts,Endangered Species,Featured,Gorilla,Travel,What You Can Do,orangutan

The Houston Zoo supports wildlife and habitat conservation through our Conservation Department. Our partners at Association of Zoo and Aquariums institutions (www.aza.org) spend upwards of $15 million combined every year on projects around the world. Many include the Great Apes. Our funds support the range country researchers and educators who live day to day in Rwanda, Republic of Congo, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria, Zaire, and Uganda. You can pick out the countries on the map.  Specifically, this year we are supporting Gorillas and Chimpanzee efforts in the Republic of Congo and Orangutans in Borneo.

africa map

On August 3rd we showed these gorilla populations:

-Western Lowland Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) contains between 125,000 and 200,000 individuals remaining in the wild

-Cross River Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla diehli) only 250-300 individuals remain

-Eastern Lowland Gorilla (Gorilla beringei) may be as low as 5,000 individuals, down from 17,000 in 1995.

-Mountain Gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei) 700-740 individuals remaining

Look at the bottom three populations. Genetic viability and reproduction is at risk with numbers this low. The Orangutan on Borneo and Sumatra are at critically low numbers as well but why should they race to become the first subspecies of great ape to go extinct in our lifetimes?

What can North Americans do? We are not in Africa; we cannot change the behavior of a country and its people. Yes, we can.

- Pay attention to news from the region and put pressure on corporations working in the Central African countries to support protection of wildlife and habitat.

- Support zoos, aquariums and other non-profits dedicating conservation resources to these areas.

- Remember the blog on Coltan, mining and cell phones. It is for real, and your use of this resource makes a bigger impression than you think. There are more than 150 million cell phone users in the United States alone. With technology changing, the average lifespan of a cell phone is 14 months. There may already be 500 million unused cell phones in the United States, with as many as 100 million added each year. Capturing the components from these phones will make a difference.

IMG_0920- Learn. Whether a library, a cable documentary or lecture event, the appreciation of wildlife will inspire you http://www.houstonzoo.org/lectureseries/

- Travel. Experiencing nature inspires us to protect it. Cannot travel abroad? Here at home there are many wonderful places to visit and species that could use your support. It is much easier (and less costly) to keep a common species common than bring it back from the brink of extinction.

We wrote a few months ago that Africa has a mystique. It is awe-inspiring, a living place yet dark and formidable. We can never know Africa. It is full of cultures and heritage, wildlife and wild places. But, Deepest Darkest Africa is in danger. There is a Congolese proverb which says you do not teach the paths of the forest to an old gorilla. But what if those paths are gone forever? How will the gorilla find its way? And worse, what if the old gorillas have gone away, lost to humans? Who will show the young the paths of the forest?

200 years ago, Thomas Jefferson wrote for if one link in nature’s chain might be lost, another might be lost, until the whole of things will vanish by piecemeal. If we have the opportunity to protect and hold dear this chain; wildlife, habitat and human communities, then we must take that opportunity and act while the old gorilla can still teach the young, his forest path.

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Aug
12

Year of the Gorilla Part 8: The Bushmeat Trade

Posted by Peter in Africa,Elephant,Endangered Species,Gorilla

No pictures today as we will touch briefly on the issue of illegal bushmeat and gather much of the information from the Bushmeat Crisis Task Force (BCTF). This will be just an introduction and then we can steer you to more detailed websites for information.

Bushmeat is simply defined as meat that comes from the “bush” and in Africa this means the forests. For generations, local communities carried out subsistence hunting, gathering animals as needed as a vital protein source. But at some point the hunting of bushmeat went from sustainable to the “Bushmeat Crisis”. It is defined on the BCTF website as “Commercial, illegal and unsustainable hunting for the meat of wild animals is causing widespread local extinctions in Asia and West Africa. It is a crisis because of rapid expansion to countries and species which were previously not at risk, largely due to an increase in commercial logging, with an infrastructure of roads and trucks that links forests and hunters to cities and consumers.”

Gorillas, chimpanzees, elephants, forest antelope, crocodiles, monkeys, birds, buffalo, hippo’s…are all taken as part of the trade, endangered species – protected or not. Again directly from the BCTF website: Though habitat loss is often cited as the primary threat to wildlife, commercial hunting for the meat of wild animals has become the most significant immediate threat to the future of wildlife in Africa and around the world; it has already resulted in widespread local extinctions in Asia and West Africa. This threat to wildlife is a crisis because it is rapidly expanding to countries and species which were previously not at risk, largely due to an increase in commercial logging, with an infrastructure of roads and trucks that links forests and hunters to cities and consumers. The bushmeat crisis is a human tragedy as well: the loss of wildlife threatens the livelihoods and food security of indigenous and rural populations most depend on wildlife as a staple or supplement to their diet, and bushmeat consumption is increasingly linked to deadly diseases like HIV/AIDS, Ebola, and Foot and Mouth disease.

Simply stated – if one village or community hunts wildlife as a sustainable resource, there are opportunities to protect endangered species and protect habitats. When wildlife is taken illegally, in mass quantity not for personal use but to sell for profit, and shipped across country borders, it is no longer sustainable.

Take a few minutes to learn about the issues facing wildlife not in only in Africa, but Asia and other developing nations at the Bushmeat Crisis Task Force website http://www.bushmeat.org

I will just add here that last year, nearly 300,000 pounds of Bushmeat was confiscated being flown into the US illegally. The problem is not simply related to only developing nations.

Tomorrow’s Gorilla Blog : A War for Wildlife

*This is part 8/10 in our Membership Giveaway. Post a comment here and on at least 2 other mt gorilla blogs to enter to win a free Zoo membership.

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Aug
11

Year of the Gorilla Part 7: What You Can Do?

Posted by Peter in Africa,Endangered Species,Gorilla,What You Can Do

Gorilla in Gabon. Paul Swen Photography

Gorilla in Gabon. Paul Swen Photography

#1: You have seen it on the blog everyday, come on out to the zoo on September 10th and hear firsthand from a wildlife veterinarian who spends a good portion of his time treating injured Mountain Gorilla’s in Rwanda . The Houston Zoo is hosting Dr. Michael Cranfield, Executive Director of the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project as part of our Call of the Wild Lecture Series September 10th, 20009. Please go to http://www.houstonzoo.org/lectureseries/

 #2:  Back in May, we hosted a very special art gallery event called Images of Africa with local Houston photographer Paul Swen. Here is an opportunity to not only support wildlife conservation, but get a very special signed and limited edition photograph of some of the most unique views of Africa you will ever see. To view the photographs available for sale ttp://www.houstonzoo.org/imagesofafrica/. 

Gorilla Orphan at Evengue Rescue Center, Gabon. Paul Swen Photography

Gorilla Orphan at Evengue Rescue Center, Gabon. Paul Swen Photography

#3: Recycle your unwanted electronic goods. That includes cell phones, laptops, pagers and other electronic devices. We mentioned last week Coltan ore also called Columbite-tantalite. This is a dull metallic ore found in major quantities in the eastern areas of the African Congo. It is used in cell phones, laptops, pagers and other electronic devices. When refined, coltan becomes metallic tantalum, a heat resistant powder that can hold a high electrical charge.  Some types of Coltan mining may occur illegally in protected lands all across the Congo which in turn put wildlife such as Elephants and Gorillas of the Congo region at risk. Eighty percent of the world’s known coltan supply is in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. There, it is mined by hand by groups of men digging basins in streams, scraping away dirt to get to the muddy coltan underneath. Recycling unused cell phones can help protect the wildlife, since reuse of the phones results in the need for fewer new ones, which reduces the need for coltan mining. The Houston Zoo accepts cell phones for recycling by mail or at our gift shop http://www.houstonzoo.org/Recycling/

#4 Want to step out on a limb? Our travel partner Terra Incognita Ecotours leads trips to Rwanda to see Mountain Gorillas in Volcanoes National Park a number of times a year. Actually, we are there right now (yes – I pre-scehduled this blog). Experiencing nature inspires us to protect it so take a look at our travel program http://www.houstonzoo.org/safari  or Terra Incognita at http://www.ecotours.com/dest_rwanda.html

Silverback-Gabon. Paul Swen Photography

Silverback-Gabon. Paul Swen Photography

 #5) Library, Bookstore, DVD, Online??? Take a few minutes and watch or read: Mountain Gorillas: Biology, Conservation and Coexistence, Gorillas in the Mist, Goodnight, Gorilla or even Gorilla Gorilla, In the Kingdom of Gorillas: Fragile Species in a Dangerous Land,  Saving a Species: Gorilla on the Brink (DVD), No One Loved Gorillas More: Dian Fossey-Letters from the Mist, The Year of the Gorilla, Mountain Gorillas: Three Decades of Research at Karisoke. You get the point…

Tomorrow’s Blog: The Bushmeat Trade

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Aug
10

Year of the Gorilla Part 6: Mbeli Bai Gorilla Project

Posted by Peter in Africa,Endangered Species,Gorilla

Mbeli Bai Gorilla Project: 

Nouabale Ndoki National Park (NNNP), Republic of Congo

We have talked about this on a past blog so briefly; the Mbeli Bai Gorilla Project is the only long-term demographic study on western gorillas which uses direct observations to provide important baseline information on the mbeli_mapsocial organization, demography and behavior of an intact population of gorillas. Detailed studies are also undertaken on the activity of other large mammal species using the bai, such as forest elephants, sitatungas, forest buffaloes as well as otters and many other species. Information and a video from the site can be seen at http://www.houstonzoo.org/gorilla-study/. Nouabale Ndoki National Park is situated in the northwest region of the Republic of Congo near the borders of both Cameroon and the Central African Republic 

The focus of this program is not only wildlife research but also supports a  very strong community education effort. Lead Researcher Thomas Breuer writes “If we want to ensure the long-term survival of the great apes and limit the risk of diseases transmission, we need to change the attitudes of locals towards the intrinsic value of wildlife in general and the importance of conserving the great apes in particular.” Wildlife research can neither be successful nor sustainable without support from the communities which depend on the same habitat used by the wildlife. Cultural heritage, community knowledge and partnerships are invaluable piece of any effort to protect wildlife and wildlife habitat.

Gorilla at Mbeli Bai. Photo Thomas Breuer

Gorilla at Mbeli Bai. Photo Thomas Breuer

Long-term studies, such as that at Mbeli Bai can provide crucial demographic and life history data which improves our understanding of life history evolution and adaptation and help to refine conservation strategies. Indeed recent findings from Mbeli Bai demonstrate that in this western gorilla population, infants are weaned at a later age (4 years compared to 3 years in mountain gorillas), have higher infant mortality (43% to age 3 compared to mountain gorillas (27.1%) and have much longer inter-birth intervals which could translate into a slower growth rate. Thus, the slow life histories of western gorillas could have major consequences for social structure, mortality patterns and particularly on population growth rates that will affect recovery from population crashes and prospects of survival of this critically endangered great ape species.

The Houston Zoo is hosting Dr. Michael Cranfield, Executive Director of the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project as part of our Call of the Wild Lecture Series September 10th, 20009. Please go to http://www.houstonzoo.org/lectureseries/ for ticket information

Join us tomorrow for a few simple things you can do to help gorilla’s.

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Aug
06

Visited our gift shop lately?

Posted by Peter in Africa,Endangered Species,Gorilla,What You Can Do

Gorilla carvings from sustainably harvested trees- Rwanda

Gorilla carvings from sustainably harvested trees- Rwanda

While we are chatting about gorilla’s – here is one way you can support conservation in Rwanda and bring home a unique gift at the same time. The Houston Zoo works with non-profits who support trade in local crafts as an economic incentive.

Far from large cities, villagers create works of art while balancing their traditional way of living. These communities are the closest neighbors to some of the world’s most precious wildlife. Their villages have little running water or electricity and the people  have traditionally made their living through subsistence agriculture and ranching but when offered the opportunity, these families develop and design local crafts in order to improve their lives with added earnings that have started to make a difference. The Houston Zoo Conservation Department supports efforts through the sales of these products in the zoo’s gift shop. Products are available from Partners in Conservation and Virunga Artisans-Rwanda, Proyecto Titi-Colombia, Snow Leopard Conservation-Mongolia and African Wild Dog-Zimbabwe.

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Aug
06

Year of the Gorilla Part 4: Cross River Gorilla

Posted by Peter in Africa,Endangered Species,Gorilla

Cross River Gorilla:

Looking for one of the most Critically Endangered primates on the planet? Well, you may have just found one in the Cross River Gorilla. According the Year of the Gorilla website, Cross River Gorillas are restricted to a limited area (<10,000 km²) of southwest Cameroon and neighboring parts of Nigeria:

cameroon2Nigeria: 75-110 individuals remaining

Cameroon: 125-185 individuals remaining

Remember that Harry Potter movie the Mountain Gorillas went to in Blog #2 of Gorilla Week? Well, this group could all fit in one screening room. 300 or less individuals of Cross River Gorillas left in the world, almost hard to believe a population of wildlife can hold so close to the brink of extinction. Add habitat loss and the Bushmeat Trade (more on this unpleasant topic in a later blog) to the problems facing this population and it is clearly high on the priority list.

Cross River Gorillas form the most northern and western of all gorilla populations and are separated from the nearest Western Lowland Gorilla population to the south by approximately 250 km. The Cross River area and the nearest outpost of western equatorial African forest occupied by Western Lowland Gorillas are separated by the grasslands and fragmented forests of the Cameroon highlands, and the relatively densely settled lowlands of western Cameroon, effectively isolating the Cross River Gorillas from the other west African gorilla populations.

Take into account that the 250-300 individuals are fragmented into at least 10 separate populations spread across 12,000 square kilometers and the difficulty in protecting this population becomes clearer. A current project to create and support Nigeria’s first community managed Wildlife Sanctuary in the Mbe Mountains will involve the establishment of a gorilla guardian monitoring network with 8 local communities in the Mowambi and Mbulu-Mone forest areas. This and other similair efforts are critical to the survival of the Cross River Gorilla.

The North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro, NC is currently supporting conservation effotrs for the Cross River Gorilla and you can access their webpage at: http://www.nczoo.org/conservation/International/CrossRivGorilla.html

 The Houston Zoo is hosting Dr. Michael Cranfield, Executive Director of the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project as part of our Call of the Wild Lecture Series September 10th, 20009. Please go to http://www.houstonzoo.org/lectureseries/ for ticket information.

Tomorrow: Eastern Lowland Gorilla

For more on Year of the Gorilla, go to http://www.yog2009.org/

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Aug
05

Year of the Gorilla Part 3: Western Lowland Gorilla

Posted by Peter in Africa,Endangered Species,Gorilla

Western Lowland Gorilla

This population occurs within the countries of Cameroon, Central African Republic, Gabon, Republic of Congo, and Equatorial Guinea. The largest of the gorilla populations, with approximately 150,000 individuals across Central Africa, gained a large boost in known numbers when researchers from the Wildlife Conservation Society discovered an unknown (to researchers) population in 2006/2007 in the Republic of Congo which in effect doubled their numbers in the wild from previous estimates. For more information you can link to: http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/africa/08/05/congo.gorillas/index.html

The Western Lowland Gorilla is listed as Critically Endangered even though they occur over a wide area with relatively low human population densities. The fragmented subpopulations generally occur at low numbers and their distribution is patchy with an estimated 80% of the population live outside protected area.

Western Lowland Gorilla photo courtesy Thomas Breuer

Western Lowland Gorilla photo courtesy Thomas Breuer

Currently the major threats to this population are poaching and disease epidemics such as the Ebola Virus followed by future habitat loss. Outbreaks of the Ebola virus alone since 2000 has claimed thousands of great apes in Africa.

Because gorillas have a low reproductive rate, they are very susceptible to even low level of hunting which can easily fragment a family unit’s social structure. Reproductive groups of Western Gorillas almost always contain only one dominant silverback male plus three or four females and four or five offspring (Fay, 1989). Adult females in any group are mostly unrelated, and the social ties that exist between them are weak. In contrast to many other primates, it is the bond between each individual female and the silverback, rather than bonds between the females, that hold the group together. Upon reaching maturity, both males and females leave the natal group. The females usually join another group or a lone young adult male, whereas the males remain solitary until they can attract females and establish their own groups (www.YOG2009.org).

We have mentioned Eastern Lowland Gorillas and Western Lowland Gorillas and the two populations are separated geographically by over 600 miles and have a few distinguishable physical differences.

The Houston Zoo is proud to support the Mbeli Bai Gorilla Study in Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park, Republic of Congo. More on this in a later blog but for now you may go to http://www.houstonzoo.org/gorilla-study/ for more information and to watch a short video from the site.

The Houston Zoo is hosting Dr. Michael Cranfield, Executive Director of the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project as part of our Call of the Wild Lecture Series September 10th, 20009. Please go to http://www.houstonzoo.org/lectureseries/ for ticket information.

Tomorrow’s Blog: Cross River Gorilla – the world’s most endangered great ape.

For more on Year of the Gorilla, go to http://www.yog2009.org/

*This is part 2 of 10 in our Mountain Gorilla Membership Madness giveaway. Post a comment on 3 mountain gorilla blogs before August 14 and enter to win a free Houston Zoo membership!

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Aug
04

Year of the Gorilla Part 2: Mountain Gorilla

Posted by Peter in Africa,Endangered Species,Featured,Gorilla

Mountain Gorillas:

Mountain Gorilla Rwanda. Photo courtesy of Terra Incognita Ecotours

Mountain Gorilla Rwanda. Photo courtesy of Terra Incognita Ecotours

Mountain gorillas are found only in Central Africa and only in two regions: 1) the Virunga Massif mountain range which includes the Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda (Parc National des Volcans), the Virunga National Park in the DRC (Parc National de Virunga) and the Mgahinga National Park in Uganda; and, 2) the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park in Uganda.

There could be less than 750 individual Mountain Gorillas remaining in the wild today. For reference, one screening room at a large movie theatre can hold about 250-300 people. This means all the Mountain Gorillas left in the world today could fit into just three screenings for the new Harry Potter movie!

The Mountain Gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei) belongs to the eastern gorilla species, which also includes the Eastern Lowland Gorilla (Gorilla beringei graueri). As we mentioned there are only two populations of Mountain Gorilla. 1) the Virunga Massif mountain range  and, 2) the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. The Bwindi Mountain Gorilla could be a third subspecies, Gorilla beringei bwindi but the taxonomic status of the populations is still as yet unclear.

The major threats affecting or having affected Mountain Gorilla populations are habitat loss or modification and forest encroachment, disease and disease transmission from humans and war or political unrest in the region.

Mountain Gorillas have faced increased pressures over the past 20+ years due to the civil unrest in the region including the Rwandan tragedy in the early 90′s which forced millions to flee the area resulting in increased pressure and utilization of natural resources (trees for wood, wildlife for food) just to survive.  Perfectly adapted to their mountain habitat, this population helped to bring “eco”-tourism to a now peaceful Rwanda and Uganda making it more valuable as a living natural resource than being sold as bushmeat in the marketplace.

The Houston Zoo is hosting Dr. Michael Cranfield, Executive Director of the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project as part of our Call of the Wild Lecture Series September 10th, 20009. Please go to http://www.houstonzoo.org/lectureseries/ for ticket information.

Tomorrow’s Blog: Western Lowland Gorilla’s

For more on Year of the Gorilla, go to http://www.yog2009.org/

*This is part 2 of 10 in our Mountain Gorilla Membership Madness giveaway. Post a comment on 3 mountain gorilla blogs before August 14 and enter to win a free Houston Zoo membership!

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