The Eastern Lowland Gorilla
Eastern lowland Gorillas are in the Kingdom of animalia Phylum. They are the most significant and strongest, plus one of the most intelligent primates in the world, thanks to their mass-muscle ratio to the rest of their body. There are two subspecies of the eastern gorilla, namely, the
Mountain gorilla that inhabits the mountain forests in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Western Uganda, and Rwanda. In Rwanda one can see the mountain gorillas in Volcanoes National Park while Uganda offers two National parks that is Bwindi and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.
Grauer’s gorilla inhabits the forests of the Albertine rift in the Eastern Democratic Republic Of Congo, exclusive to the Afrotropical biogeographical realms. They inhabit over 11,900 sq km today, with a top speed of 450km/hr, mainly the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
Where to see the Eastern Lowland gorilla
Eastern low land gorillas can be found in Dr Congo, Congo Brazzaville, Gabon, Central African Republic Angola, Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea. National Parks such as Kahuzi Beiga National Park in DR Congo Odzala in Republic of Congo are popular places for those seeing to trek the Eastern lowland gorillas. Infact, Three out of four subspecies of gorilla can be trekked in the Democratic Republic of Congo thanks to its huge concentration of primates
Due to civil unrest and political turbulence and illegal bush meat and poaching across the Democratic Republic of Congo the number of Eastern lowland gorillas has reduced significantly making them become critically endangered animal species suffering a 70% population collapse with about only 5000 gorillas left in the wild.
How do Eastern Lowland gorillas look like?
The eastern lowland gorillas tend to have a slightly bigger body with an adult silverback weighing about 210kg with large arms and as compared to other gorilla types and less hair. You will find them less fluffy than the mountain gorillas. On the other hand, the female weigh about 76 kilograms (168 lb)
Adult males over 12 years old are called silverbacks due to the hair on their backs, which changes its color, turning from black to gray. An adult male weigh about 210 kg, while the females reach an average weight of 100 kg with a lifespan of 30 to 40 years of age, and in captivity, they can live as long as 60 years.
The average silverback gorilla is equivalent to twenty adult human beings and can lift or throw up to 1796.77 lb (815 kg), which is the average weight of more than twenty adult humans combined. The male is 6.1 feet (1.85 meters) tall, while the females are 5.2 feet (1.6 meters). When under stress, apocrine glands in the armpits of females emit a strong bad smell.
Eastern Lowland Gorillas way of life
Eastern lowland gorillas live in groups with their families because they are very social and friendly. Nonetheless, no territorial groups with fewer than 30 troops were called troops. The members exhibit significant inbreeding. Every group has a strong leader who keeps the group safe from harm. The young are referred to as babies or infants. A few adult females and a few male and female youngsters are in groups. They can make a variety of sounds, but they are usually quiet. There are 16 different call kinds available. They use barks, hoots, growls, screams, and, when they’re pleased, laughter, to communicate. How adorable! They cannot, however, be kept as household pets. While the juvenile ones hop from branch to branch to play, eastern lowland gorillas often climb the treetops to gather food. They rest for most of their time after feeding Mating in Eastern Lowland Gorillas
How do Lowland Gorillas find a mate?
Eastern Lowland gorillas are polygamous species. The dominant male has the right to mate with each female in the troop. They give birth to a single child; however, in the Bwindi Forest, a female gave birth to twins after an 8.5-month gestation period and mated throughout the year, which is unusual. The infant is breastfed by the mother for a year. Males have to wait until they are about 15 years old to mate with females, who are sexually mature when they are 10 years old.
A young male can be seriously beaten and chased out of the group if he has sex without the permission of the Silverback. The Silverback is the overall leader, and his orders are followed by all individuals in the group.
What do Eastern Lowland Gorillas Eat?
The diet of Eastern Lowland Gorillas consists of leaves and vegetables. They eat both plants and animals, but their favorite food is vegetarian. They eat leaves, stems, bamboo shoots, and fruits other than bananas. However, Eastern lowland gorillas can eat banana stems, they destroy them to eat the nutritious middle part from the banana trees. They also eat insects like ants, termites, and grasshoppers, and they usually break open the nests of termites to eat the young. They can eat all day long.
Eastern Low Lowland Gorilla extinction.
Human activities such as poaching and mining and illegal logging in the Congo Forest are the main threats to eastern lowland gorillas. Because there is such a high demand for their bush meat, poachers hunt them. Within the local communities, miners, loggers, and people displaced by the civil conflict in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, their flesh is prized.
To feed hungry people, approximately 300 Eastern lowland gorillas are being slaughtered. The Congolese civil wars, where bandits battle inside forests and mine near gorilla habitats, are a concern to gorillas in addition to poachers. This makes it difficult to do scientific research on the creatures and to keep track of them. The fear for one’s life makes it harder to enforce anti-poaching policies in places where there is civil instability. However, there is still some hope thanks to international organizations like the United Nations, which has the largest peacekeeping force in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the World Wildlife Fund, which collaborates with the Congolese wildlife authority to conduct surveys and monitor endangered species in Kahuzi Beiga National Park.
What would happen if gorillas went extinct?
Like the majority of wild creatures, gorillas have a significant place in their surroundings. If these huge gentle giants’ grazers don’t eat a lot of plants and destroy bamboo forests, the natural balance of the food chain will be disrupted. Plus, the future generation will be ripped of the chance to meet these beautiful Eastern lowland gorillas. Gorillas also help spread trees by spreading the fruits and also creating space for small plants to grow.
A spiraling extinction cycle might develop if Eastern Lowland gorillas vanish from African forests. Numerous other species that depend on trees for food or shelter would also likely become extinct along with the indigenous trees.
How can you save Eastern Low land Gorillas from Extinction?
The goal for everyone should be to conserve these endangered gorillas in their natural habitat in Africa. With the help of trackers, anti-poaching rangers, and scientists, For example, the mountain gorillas of Uganda and Rwanda, and Grauer’s gorillas in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, need to be kept safe and looked after for a long time. The primary source of funding for the effort is gorilla trekking tourism
You should reserve a gorilla trekking safari since it raises money to protect gorillas and is an alternative source of income for poachers.
Recycling your cell phone is important because the materials required to make it are taken from African gorilla habitats. And give to charities that assist gorilla conservation efforts like Diana Fossey’s.
