Why are Gorillas endangered?

Additional Info: The threats to Gorillas are complex. Their life span in captivity is 50 years, in the wild it is 35 years. Loss of their habitat is a large reason for their decline. But poaching is a very hard to keep in check, and even the live capture for smuggling to the black market is almost impossible to track. They are killed for their meat, called "bush meat" it is illegal, and yet still they are butchered on site. This makes tracking, and studying their population, near impossible. Also, political unrest and civil war in the area, pushes refuges into their habitat. Plus the actual fighting in their habitats. Lastly with the increased exposure to humans from all these factors, they have been exposed to illnesses that they have no defense. Such as, Measles, mange, and intestinal parasites. In 2004, because of this increased exposure to humans, several hundred Gorillas died, from an Edola Virus outbreak, in Odzala, the National Park of Congo. There have been several of these outbreaks and the number of Gorilla deaths is uncertain, and in the process of being studied.

First answer by UnionBay. Last edit by Star Wanderer. Contributor trust: 83 [recommend contributor]. Question popularity: 30 [recommend question]