Mountain Gorilla

Just over 780 mountain gorillas remain in the world today. Two isolated populations survive, one in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, south-western Uganda, and the other on the forested slopes of the Virunga volcanoes, straddling the borders of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Rwanda and Uganda.

Mountain gorilla facts:

• Mountain gorillas have longer hair and shorter arms than their lowland cousins and tend to be a bit larger than other gorillas
• In 1902, the German explorer Oscar von Beringe became the first non-African to encounter the mountain gorilla
• The mountain gorilla is primarily terrestrial and quadrupedal but they are capable of running bipedally

During the 20^th century a combination of hunting and habitat destruction drove this very rare primate to the verge of extinction.
The continued protection, monitoring and management of the mountain gorilla and its habitat have demanded huge commitment and cost many lives.
The dedication of national park staff in the three countries is the chief reason why mountain gorillas are thriving today.