Western lowland gorilla – Gorilla trekking Safaris and Tours.
Western lowland gorilla
Along with the mountain gorillas, the Cross River gorillas, and the eastern lowland gorillas, the Western lowland gorilla is one of the four (4) subspecies of gorillas. More over 100,000 gorillas are thought to remain in the wild in their native environment, whereas an estimated 600 of these animals reside in captivity, such as zoos.
Physical Characteristics
However, with an adult Western lowland gorilla weighing around 440 pounds, this subspecies is the smallest of all. They may grow to a height of 4.5 to 5.5 feet when standing on two feet. Their black-brown fur is shorter than that of other subspecies, and they have longer limbs and a more prominent forehead ridge. Western lowland gorillas have a distinctive white fur patch down their back when they are young, and their hair turns silver as they age.
Western Lowland Gorilla Diet
The primary vegetarian diet of these Western lowland gorillas consists of roots, shoots, tree bark, pulps, and wild berries. A mature Western lowland gorilla may often consume up to 18 kilograms of food in a single day.
The majority of the flora that this subspecies feeds on grows quickly, so they don’t have to go far to get food as other monkeys do. Instead, they only need to travel around 4 kilometers per day. Feeding takes up the most of their day, with only one midday break during which the grownups slumber and the children play with one another.
There are several distinct eating habits among the captive western lowland gorillas that experts are yet unable to explain. These include re-ingestion and regurgitation (a behavior in which animals regurgitate some of their meal and then eat it again), urine drinking, and coprophagy (the practice of eating excrement).
Where to Look for Them and Their Habitat
Among the gorilla subspecies, the Western lowland gorilla is the most common. It mostly inhabits the tropical forests of Western and Central Africa and may survive for up to 40 years in its native habitat. Since this is the only subspecies of gorilla that can survive in captivity, you may see a few of them in zoos across the world, where they may live for up to 60 years.
These gorillas have been found to reside in Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, the Central African Republic, Gabon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola, and the Republic of Congo and Gabon in their native environment. They mostly inhabit deep woodland areas where there is a plenty of plants for them to consume.
Western lowland gorilla behavior and family structure
Like other gorilla subspecies, Western lowland gorillas live in groups called troops, which can have up to thirty (30) members under the leadership of a single dominant adult male known as the silverback (because of the silver-like hair that covers part of their back). The dominant male adult, young males, females, and their offspring are among the various individuals that make up each flock.
climbing trees
Despite having the ability to climb trees, these gorillas choose to spend the most of their time on the ground.
Character of Motion
Despite being able to stand erect, they mostly move on all four limbs—two legs and two hands—by pushing themselves forward with the assistance of their knuckles and foot soles.
Being a leader
The troop leader is responsible for planning the various activities, such as determining the troop’s home range, where to spend the night in a nest, and when to eat.
Defense
The security of his whole group is the troop leader’s first priority. Despite the strong relationships among troop members, outsiders, particularly other males, occasionally assault these gorillas. If this occurs, the dominant group leader will demonstrate his strength and dominance by standing erect on two legs, yelling as he rushes, flinging objects about him, and thumping his chest while roaring, hooting, and barking loudly.
Calm
According to popular belief, Western lowland gorillas are extremely calm and will only turn hostile if their tranquility is disrupted. In reality, it has been noted on several times that various troops get along well with one another without resorting to violence—just to feed in their natural environment.
Only the Western lowland gorilla subspecies have been shown to possess this unusual ability to tolerate different units. As is typical of chimpanzees, troop members seldom engage in fighting or even harbor resentment for an extended period of time. Nonetheless, the silverback steps in to defuse any escalating disputes, particularly those involving the females.
Mating In Western lowland gorillas, the females start the mating process during ovulation. When a female in his troop is ovulating, the dominant male is responsible for meeting all of her sexual needs.
Mature reproduction
The females often leave their birth-troop and join another or just hook up with a lone silverback when they achieve reproductive maturity, which occurs around the age of eight (8). They use this action to prevent disputes with other older females in the flock that can arise from vying for the silverback’s attention and favor.
The western lowland gorilla expects to give birth after nine (9) months of gestation. Primatologist Sylvia Atsalis of the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago claims that while they never experience menopause, they may give birth to four to six offspring during the course of their lifespan at intervals of four (4) years.
However, as they reach adulthood, the young males also have a tendency to leave their birth-troop in order to avoid being perceived as a danger by the dominant silverbacks. When the young male leaves the troop, he will either stay alone or join a group of other lone males until a female decides to have another child with him.
Communication Despite their reputation for being silent most of the time, western lowland gorillas have a sophisticated vocalization system that comprises over twenty (20) different hoots, screams, and barks, each with a unique meaning. Those who have been observed in captivity claim to have demonstrated exceptional intellect and picked up the fundamentals of human sign language with ease.
The Top 5 Risks to Western Lowland Gorilla Survival
Despite being the most common gorilla subspecies, the Western lowland gorilla was listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) due to several threats, which are detailed below.
Deforestation
In addition to destroying the gorilla’s natural habitat, this practice has made it simpler for poachers to shoot Western lowland gorillas for bush meat. Over 75% of these gorillas reside in unprotected regions, which puts them at serious risk of poaching.
illness
The general population of western lowland gorillas has been significantly impacted by a number of diseases, including human illnesses like the common flu, to which the gorilla is immune. Furthermore, Ebola is another deadly illness that, according to researchers studying primates, killed around 10% of their population in the early 2000s.
For instance, an Ebola outbreak in the Republic of Congo between 2002 and 2004 killed almost 30% of the region’s Western lowland gorilla population. The disease spread like wildfire among the gorillas because different troops could easily interact with one another within this subspecies.
Human Invasion of Their Environment
Because they have consistently encroached on their native habitat via land clearance for farming, grazing, and human settlement, humans have posed a serious danger to the survival of the western lowland gorilla. These gorillas now have a reduced area to occupy as a result of being forced farther into the forest.
Changes in Climate
In addition to humans, gorillas have been impacted by the global climate shift because the high temperatures have dried up the flora that these forest giants rely on for sustenance, making the dry forest even more susceptible to fires.
Corruption and Ineffective Management
We should not forget that the majority of the African nations where these gorillas reside have experienced civil unrest. Additionally, poaching has persisted due to inadequate management of the forest reserves and corruption in the government agencies responsible for overseeing these forests, as well as human encroachment on the gazetted forest reserves that would be home to this subspecies.
The number of western lowland gorillas has declined significantly as a result of the ineffective policies that are in place in these nations. The population of the mountain gorilla subspecies has increased in countries like Rwanda and Uganda, where the species is located, despite their strict forest management laws.
Western lowland gorilla conservation
Both national and international regulations have protected this subspecies throughout the years, but they have not historically been strictly implemented. Numerous international conservation organizations have emerged today to collaborate with the local population and national authorities in the countries where these gorillas are found.
Their goals are to strengthen the penalties for poaching and improve appropriate land use planning in order to preserve the gorillas’ natural habitat. Nowadays, a number of international wildlife groups, including the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF), and zoos throughout the world, have reacted favorably to ensure the survival of the western lowland gorilla subspecies.
By supporting gorilla tracking programs, bolstering gazette areas, and promoting sustainable development by obtaining an Ebola vaccine, the World Wide Fund for Nature launched the Great Apes Program on the African continent to aid in the conservation of the various gorilla subspecies.
Several western lowland gorilla sanctuaries, including the Lobeke National Park in Cameroon, Nouabale-Ndoki in the Congo, and the Dzanga Sangha protected area in the Central African Republic, are now hosting the vaccination program.
Western Lowland Gorilla Trekking
Trekking with Western lowland gorillas is another tourist activity on an African safari, much like with their mountain cousins. Since they reside deeper into the lush trees, the activity entails traveling through densely forested areas in distant Africa for several hours in order to find them in their native environment.
Because the majority of them are not habituated, visitors who come to see them typically have to hide in other cages and wait patiently for the gorillas to emerge into the open. However, the different locations for Western lowland gorilla trekking are listed below.
- Enclave of Cabinda in Angola
- Congo Brazzaville is the location of Odzala National Park.
- Guinea’s Monte Alen National Park
- Gabon’s Moukalaba-Doudou National Park
- Central Africa is home to Dzanga-Ndoki National Park.
- Lefini Reserve located near Brazzaville, Congo