Predators of Mountain Gorillas
Predators of Mountain Gorillas: With an average of 10,000 visitors annually to each mountain gorilla national park, mountain gorillas are among the most popular creatures in East Africa. People come to the many mountain gorilla parks to visit the gorillas because they are fascinating to see and engage with. These apes dwell in mountainous rain forests.
Three countries—Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo—are home to these mountain gorillas in their natural habitats. The many mountain gorilla parks in these several countries offer trekking opportunities for mountain gorillas throughout the year.
Volcanoes National Park, Virunga National Park, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, and Mgahinga National Park are the mountain gorilla parks in Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Uganda, respectively.
Large creatures, mountain gorillas and humans share nearly 98% of their DNA. These apes enjoy social lives similar to those of humans and are capable of nearly all human activities.
Because of their small population in comparison to other mammals in the wild, mountain gorillas are classified as endangered. As a result, numerous efforts have been made to preserve the lives of the surviving gorillas and create environments that will allow them to proliferate and increase in number.
Programs to eliminate mountain gorilla predators in whatever manner feasible are one of the several conservation initiatives, but what or who are the mountain gorilla predators? We provide some shade on the mountain gorilla predators below.
For a variety of reasons, including the following, mountain gorillas are thought to lack natural predators, or predators from the wild:
Their habitats: Mountain gorillas live in high-altitude mountain forests that are less conducive to the survival of most other wild creatures, particularly those that may prey on them. This prevents the mountain gorillas from becoming prey.
Due to their size, preying on mountain gorillas requires a larger, more powerful animal because these primates are enormous, weighing an average of 400 pounds.
Their social life: Mountain gorillas are gregarious creatures that live in packs of at least fifteen. The silverback that leads the pack also serves as the group’s continuous protector. Predators find it difficult to attack mountain gorillas since they live in groups; if one strays from the pack, they can be readily attacked and killed.
Adult mountain gorillas fight fiercely, swinging and treading on their assailant until they are dead or near death. Other animals in the wild fear the mountain gorilla because of its fierce fighting style.
Nevertheless, leopards are the most likely natural predator of mountain gorillas. In contrast to the majority of the big five or other powerful creatures, the leopard is a very strong cat that is also quite elusive. It may attack a lone mountain gorilla and hide in the forest. According to wildlife studies, leopards prey on young mountain gorillas who are left alone. It’s crucial to remember that leopards rarely target adult or silverback mountain gorillas; instead, they target the young because the latter can defend themselves and kill the leopard.
However, humans are the mountain gorillas’ largest predator. The greatest prey of mountain gorillas are humans, who poach them for a variety of reasons, such as bush meat, spiritual meanings, cultural trophies, and sometimes retaliation for the gorillas’ consumption of human crops or encroachment on human gardens. Poaching can also occur when people wish to use a portion of the gorilla’s habitat for farming or settlement.
Human poaching of mountain gorillas has been a major factor in the decline of mountain gorilla populations in the wild, and preventing poaching is a primary priority for all conservation initiatives.
Engaging in a mountain gorilla trekking expedition in one of the three nations is one way you can support these conservation initiatives. Permits to trek with mountain gorillas cost $1500 in Rwanda, $700 in Uganda, and $400 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.