Western Gorilla Research Paper

Gorillas are a species of Apes. They are the largest species of the apes. They can grow to the height of an average person, but can weigh two to three times as much. According to www.allaboutwildlife.com, there are several species of gorillas, one is known as the Western gorilla and the other is the Eastern gorilla with subgroups. The Eastern gorilla are also known as the mountain gorilla. They live in the higher areas where it is colder. There is also an Eastern lowland gorilla and just as their name is stated, they live in in the lowlands. Both species live in tropical east-central Africa. Gorillas are now on the endangered species list for many reasons.

They are mostly vegetarians and live off of the land in the rain forests. As we all

know, the rain forests are declining due to man building and cutting down the trees. The area is becoming more and more limited for them to live, grow and eat. According to www.allaboutwildlife.com, they live in small groups that consist of a dominant male, several females and their babies, a few smaller males, and males that are on a lower level than the dominate male. Sometimes the dominate male is unable to keep his status when he gets older and one of the other males challenge him and either kills him or runs him off from the pack.
Another reason for the decline is humans killing off the families for either the meat, which is considered a gourmet to some. Then others are being killed so that they can take the babies to sell them in the international markets for pets. Baby gorillas are in high demand as an exotic pet. So, either way, the species is being killed for human means. Although some are saved and placed in zoos, they are not able to keep the species growing as they would in their natural habitat.
According to www.allaboutwidldlife.com, human diseases are contributing to the rapid decline in gorillas as well. The Ebola virus has taken a great toll on gorillas and chimpanzees, the smaller species of apes. Not only was it killing many humans, it was also wiping out these species.
As you can see, there are many reasons for the decline of gorillas and why they are on the endangered species list. One of the reason is not due to the overshoot and collapse theory. One reason for this is definitely due to human activities as stated above. The gorillas are unable to reach carrying capacity to see if the theory is correct. Human activities are changing the carrying capacity by changing the gorilla’s environment. The biggest change is the lost in their space or habitat. Even if the other reasons for decline were not reasons, losing large amounts of land, lowers their carrying capacity.