Imprint

Only 17% of the gorilla population lives in protected regions, and vast areas of gorilla forest has already been lost. That destruction continues as logging companies open up large swathes of forest, forests are cleared to make space for subsistence farming or ape habitat becomes fragmented by road building.

There is also a strong link between habitat loss and the bushmeat trade. As previously inaccessible forests are opened up by timber companies, commercial hunters gain access to areas where gorillas roam and often use logging vehicles to transport bushmeat to far away markets, as well as sell meat to employees of the logging companies.

Like humans, gorillas reproduce slowly, giving birth to only one baby at a time and then raising that infant for several years before giving birth again. This slow reproduction rate makes gorillas especially vulnerable to any population declines.