Threatened & endangered species

[waltky]

Gorillas in our midst...

Rwanda's Mountain Gorillas Making Comeback
December 23, 2011 - In the 1980s, the movie Gorillas in the Mist, made Rwanda's almost-extinct mountain gorillas famous. Now, they have come back from the brink, having increased their numbers three-fold to almost 800. The gorillas are drawing tourists from all over the world to the East African nation.

These mountain gorillas are part a clan called 'Hirwa' that live together in a quiet corner of the Rwandan mountains, fiercely protected by the government and international aid organizations. The gorillas are like national heroes in Rwanda, bringing in 90 percent of the tiny country's tourism revenue. Every morning, tourists, usually paying $500 each for a permit, pack into the Volcanoes National Park headquarters and prepare to hike into the woods to spend an hour observing a gorilla family. But despite years of successful, aggressive conservation efforts, experts say the animals still face grave dangers from their human neighbors.

Dr. Jan Ramer specializes in gorilla care for the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project. She says trauma caused by snares, set by locals attempting to trap other kinds of wildlife, is the number one cause of death for these gorillas. Actual gorilla trafficking is now a rare occurrence. Even so, this baby gorilla, "Ihirwe" which means luck, was rescued from poachers last summer. Dr. Ramer says it was the first deliberate gorilla-napping she has seen since 10 gorillas were murdered in neighboring Congo a few years ago, as a part of the on-going human conflict. "We were stunned because this is the first mountain gorilla that has been taken from the forest that we are aware of and confiscated since 2007," said Ramer.

Dr. Ramer says gorillas also live practically on top of some of the most crowded and poorest areas in Africa, leaving the animals constantly vulnerable to encroachment, human diseases, and poachers. But tour guides at the park say much of the poaching has been slowed because many former poachers now work for the government. And while these gorillas are no longer movie stars, locals say the government's plans to share 5 percent of the gorilla-tourism revenue with the community is helping to develop this impoverished area. And in one of the poorest countries on earth, villagers say this means more to them than the fun of living near the gorillas.

Source

 

[Old Rocks]

The Great Apes are our closest relitives, and very intelligent and interesting animals. To force them into extinction would be another criminal blot on man's sad history of interaction with the other creatures of this planet.

 

[Mr Natural]

Six billion humans and only 800 gorillas.

Something's out of whack.

 

[Old Rocks]

The same for Bonobos, Chimpanzees, and Orangatans.

 

[waltky]

Life with a gorilla...

The ups and downs of living with a gorilla
31 December 2011 - The Thivillons have been caring for Digit the gorilla for more than a decade, but having a primate at home throws up some unlikely problems.

In a village near Lyon in south-east France, a couple have become local celebrities by virtue of their adopted "child". Digit, as she is known, has been living in the same room as Pierre and Elaine Thivillon for nearly 13 years. Their relationship began in 1999, when the young primate came into the care of the couple, who manage the zoo at Saint Martin la Plaine where she was born. Within three days of her birth, it was clear that Digit's mother Pamela was refusing to feed her. The Thivillons took her into their care, bottle-feeding her during the day and returning her to her enclosure at night. By 18 months old, the baby gorilla had begun to show a deep attachment to her foster parents. After an illness left her requiring 24-hour care, Pierre and Elaine took her into their bedroom at night, where she has slept ever since.

For the first 10 years, she snuggled up between the couple, but now at 130kg (287lbs) she has to have a bed of her own. Although she has free reign of the couple's small apartment, during the day she rambles around her enclosure which is next door. "I don't go in there as it's Digit's home," says Elaine, acknowledging the young teenager's right to privacy. "Only Pierre is allowed in there." Having a gorilla in the family is not without its problems. "This morning I brought four raisin buns for our breakfast," says Pierre. "When I had my back turned she managed to finish four of them before I could save one. Then she turned her attention to Elaine's coffee." "She loves chocolate," says Elaine, and sometimes she will drink an entire cup of coffee in search of the little sweet Elaine dunks in there.

The couple, who have no children, are often asked if they consider Digit as their daughter. "I wouldn't say we see her as our child as such, but she is someone who is very dear to me," explains Elaine. "She is part of our family and I do treat her as a mother would. Sometimes I will say: 'No, no more sweets Digit', and then she will give me three or four kisses and I give in." The trio have learned to transcend the barriers of language to communicate with each other. "We recognise the noises that she makes. This morning she made a little grunt to show me that she was happy," says Elaine. "She understands what we tell her too."

"The other day she was sitting on the sofa and I said, 'Come on Digit, give me some space,' and she moved over. "In the morning, when she wants her toys or her Lego or her books, she just points to the cupboard where they are kept." Encouraging a teenager to read is a challenge for any parent, but what kind of books is a 13-year-old gorilla interested in? "She has animal books and catalogues," Elaine explains. "Sometimes she looks through them and she'll stop on a page and I'll explain to her, this is a cat or this is another animal." When playing with her Lego she is limited to the big chunks as the little ones slip through her enormous fingers. Every evening when Pierre has finished his rounds at the zoo, he and his wife have a quick meal before they retire to their bedroom.

More BBC News - The ups and downs of living with a gorilla

 

[westwall]

A remarkabe comeback but more needs to be done. Poachers are still killing them and it is very difficult to keep them safe. Below is a link for probably the best gorilla preservation group out there at the moment.

International Gorilla Conservation Programme (IGCP) - Threats

 

[JDzBrain]

Six billion humans and only 800 gorillas.

Something's out of whack.

No kidding! No wonder that dang gorilla hand ashtray was so freakin' expensive! ;~0

Seriously, you know what I find so remarkable about the mountain gorilla, well all gorilla really, but the mountain especially?

Their nature. Don't get me wrong, I know they WILL kill ya if they feel sufficiently threatened. And they can do it without even trying, but they have to be REALLY provoked to launch an all out attack on other critters. Even us. It's like they KNOW they are the big dog and it makes them benevolent.

Other primates...and most animals in general...are much more subject to random and all out attack of each other and other species. Particularly the smaller primates. Seems like the smaller primates suffer from little man's disease just as much as vertically challenged humans do. ;~)

But mountain gorillas always seemed to me to be the "best adjusted" of the great apes. Probably what makes them such easy targets for poachers!

 

[waltky]

Reproductive gene pool requires 800 minimum...

Fighting threatens gorillas in the Democratic Republic of Congo
Mon May 14, 2012 - Mountain gorillas are critically endangered, with fewer than 800 left in the world; A national park is forced to abandon patrol posts as rebels move in and fighting intensifies; Despite its rich resources, the central African nation battles violence and poverty

Fighting between the national army and rebels in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo is threatening mountain gorillas, a critically endangered species, the Virunga National Park said Sunday. Just two of the park's five gorilla patrol posts remain open after the fighting intensified and rebels reportedly moved into the area.

Virunga National Park, Africa's oldest national park, is home to roughly 25% of the world's mountain gorillas. "We are deeply concerned with the safety of the mountain gorillas who are exposed to the dangers of artillery fire, but we must also take care of our staff who have to be evacuated from the combat zone. As soon as there is a lull in the fighting, we will return to check on the gorillas," Emmanuel de Merode, chief warden for Virunga National Park, said in a statement. Tourist attractions will remain closed until the security situation improves, the park said.

Mountain gorillas are critically endangered with fewer than 800 left in the wild in the mountains of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Uganda. Some 200 are thought to live in the Virunga National Park. Despite its rich resources, Congo battles violence and poverty. A decade of conflict between government forces and armed militias left millions dead as a result of the fighting and as a result of hunger and diseases. The east remains the epicenter of attacks by anti-government militias. The international community has spent massive amounts of money in an effort to stabilize the vast nation.

The world's largest mountain gorilla population, thought to number fewer than 500 animals, is found in a mountainous region known as the Virungas, incorporating Uganda's Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, and Virunga National Park. A second, smaller population can be found in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, in another region of Uganda. Mountain gorillas are not frequently hunted for their meat, but can be maimed or killed by poachers leaving traps or snares for other animals. They have also been killed for their body parts to be sold to collectors.

Source

 

[editec]

I suspect the only hope for most species that are dying off in this century will be genetic science.

With only 800 indisidual left in a species, I doubt that species really has the genetic diversity to make it.

 

[skookerasbil]

species come and species go............its called nature. Been happening a long, long time for those who didnt know.

Less than 5% of the population gets hyper-angst about it.

Clearly.........some people have waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too much time on their hands with nothing to do.


I mean c'mon s0ns...........ever take a gander and check out some of the post counts of the hyper-nutters on this board? I rest. People need to take a course on getting themselves networked.

 

[JDzBrain]

Not to put too fine a point on it skoo, but you have averaged nearly 3000 post a year since you joined USMB and that's just slightly less than the person who started this thread. So....what's the point?

Personally, I kill and eat 4 legged, furry critters with great regularity. The more it looks like Bambie the more tenders! ;~0

But I'm not going to work to help a specie disappear. Good wildlife practice...MOSTLY government staying out of it...has left us in Kentucky with one of the highest deer and trophy deer populations in the US. Not to mention, the highest population of elk east of the Mississippi. More than every other state east of the Mississippi combined, in fact!

The problem is, other countries don't have governments that are stable and answerable to the people. As a matter of fact...if things keep going the way they are...WE WON'T EITHER before long.

The Fed OWNS more than half of all land west of the great plains. That is in DIRECT violation of the Constitution. The fed is miss managing the land and wildlife and causing all manner of eco catastrophe.

What's going on in the Congo is emblematic of what WILL happen here if we don't get our out of control government under control and control of our resources back in the hands of the people it belongs to and have a vested interest in the way it's utilized...US!

Freedom from religious persecution was just one of the two main reasons people came to the new world and founded this country. The abundance and ability to own land and natural resources that didn't belong to a monarchy was the other main reason.

THAT is going away if we aren't careful and we will become Congo!

 

[waltky]

Yea, Granny says dat works with Uncle Ferd too...

Gorilla communication: mums use 'baby talk' gestures
12 June 2012 - The gorillas were much more tactile with infants than with other adults

Mother gorillas use a type of "baby talk" when communicating with infants, according to scientists. The team studied captive western lowland gorillas, watching and filming the animals as they interacted. These animals have a wide repertoire of communication gestures, so the team focused on facial expressions and hand signals used in play. They published their findings in the American journal of Primatology.

Eva Maria Luef from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, led the research. She and her colleague Katja Liebal filmed 120 hours of footage of the gorillas at Leipzig Zoo and Howletts and Port Lympne Wild Animal Parks in the UK. Analysing this footage revealed that, when they played with infants, adult females used more tactile gestures than they used with other adults; they would "touch, stroke and lightly slap" the youngsters. "The infants also received more repetition," explained Dr Luef.

She described one particularly motherly gesture which the researchers call "hand-on". "This is where mothers put the flat hand of their hand on top of the [infant's] head," said Dr Luef. "It means 'stop it.'" Gorillas often use this gesture with one another; it is a signal that appears to mean that an animal has "had enough". But with an infant, the female would repeat the action several times.

The researchers describe this motherly communication as "non-vocal motherese". They say that it helps infants to build the repertoire of signals they will use as adults, in order to communicate with the rest of the gorilla group. "It also shows that older animals possess a certain awareness of the infants' immature communication skills," said Dr Luef.

Learning to talk

 

[wirebender]

considering that 99.9% of all the species that ever exited on earth are extinct, it would seem that extinction is the norm, not the anomoly.

 

[bobgnote]

And then humans got up to 7.017 billion souls, many of them very, very stupid.

When human habitat starts to fuck up, worse than it is doing, I hope stupids die, first.

 

[waltky]

Mr. Zookeeper at the Louisville Zoo tells ever'body not to monkey around with the gorillas...

DR Congo conflict puts rare gorillas in peril
Wed, Sep 26, 2012 - Home to the famed mountain gorillas, Africa’s oldest national park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) has been overrun by armed groups who have slaughtered wildlife and scared off much-needed tourists.

For Belgian park director Emmanuel de Merode and his staff it is a time of great uncertainty and anxiety. Last month, they were forced to spend an entire day sheltering in a cellar while the army and rebels battled nearby. “They let me know that we were not part of their conflict,” said Merode, adding that the park’s new luxury tourist lodge was nevertheless standing empty as a result of the fighting.

Straddling DR Congo, Rwanda and Uganda, the Virunga volcanoes conservation area is home to 480 of the world’s 790 remaining mountain gorillas made famous by US zoologist Dian Fossey, who was murdered in 1985. However, in recent months, dozens of animals have been killed by armed groups including the DR Congo army, whom an environmental group has accused of poaching under orders from officers who charge a fee to local poachers in a protection racket.

Created in 1925, Virunga National Park is home to Lake Edward, which in 1980 was the world’s most important hippopotamus sanctuary with 27,000 of the animals. There are now fewer than 300, according to Merode. In July, during a lull in fighting, rangers began searching rebel-held jungle for six families of the critically endangered mountain gorillas that had not been spotted since fighting erupted in April between the regular army and the M-23 militia led by a renegade general.

In order to begin the search for the missing primates, Merode had to secure agreement from both the army and the M23 rebels. More than half the gorillas were found and two births were recorded, although rangers’ fears were far from allayed. The fighting has wiped out tourism in the area, depriving the park of a vital source of donations needed to help keep the rangers working. “Even in the best of times, keeping Virunga’s rangers fully funded is a challenge, but with tourism closed because of the war, it has become nearly impossible,” Merode wrote in his blog.

DR Congo conflict puts rare gorillas in peril - Taipei Times

 

[Noah_raffi]

thats dangerous.

 

[waltky]

Granny says, "Awww, dem poor monkeys...

Great ape habitat in Africa has dramatically declined
28 September 2012 - Bonobos have less far territory to roam

Great apes, such as gorillas, chimps and bonobos, are running out of places to live, say scientists. They have recorded a dramatic decline in the amount of habitat suitable for great apes, according to the first such survey across the African continent. Eastern gorillas, the largest living primate, have lost more than half their habitat since the early 1990s. Cross River gorillas, chimps and bonobos have also suffered significant losses, according to the study.

Details are published in the journal Diversity and Distributions. "Several studies either on a site or country level indicated already that African ape populations are under enormous pressure and in decline," said Hjalmar Kuehl, of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, who helped organise the research.

But a wider perspective was missing; so various organisations and scientists joined to conduct the first continent-wide survey of suitable great ape habitat. "Many of the authors have spent years to collect the data used in this study under extremely difficult conditions with a lot of personal commitment," Dr Kuehl told BBC Nature. "Nothing comparable exists." The scientists conducted the survey in two stages.

First, they determined the exact location of more than 15,000 sites where the various species and subspecies of African great ape have been confirmed living during the past twenty years. "We then evaluated the environmental conditions at these locations and at all other locations across tropical Africa where great ape presence was not confirmed. This assessment included for instance percentage forest cover, human population density or climatic conditions," said Dr Kuehl. From that the researchers could calculate the environmental conditions required for great apes to live. Then, using a statistical model, they predicted the amount of such habitat surviving across Africa, first for the 1990s, then the 2000s. The results are grim reading for conservationists.

More BBC Nature - Great ape habitat in Africa has dramatically declined

 

[waltky]

Granny says, "An' purt soon dey gonna be comin' over here an' ya gonna have to stand in line behind `em at K-mart - is gonna be awful...

Population of Africa’s gorillas rises
Sun, Nov 18, 2012 - Uganda’s mountain gorilla population has grown to 400, up from 302 in 2006, according to a census conducted last year, bringing the total number of mountain gorillas in Africa to 880 and giving hope to conservationists trying to save the critically endangered species.

Uganda is now home to nearly half of the world’s mountain gorillas remaining in the wild, a source of confidence for a country that has come to depend heavily on the popular apes for substantial tourism revenues. The rest of the surviving mountain gorillas — of the subspecies Gorilla beringei beringei — are found in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) and Rwanda. “The increase in the population of mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is testimony to the sound natural resource management policies that are being implemented in the protected areas,” Uganda’s Ministry of Tourism said in a statement received on Friday. “This result confirms beyond reasonable doubt that Uganda’s conservation efforts are paying off.”

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, a network of forested jungle deep in the country’s southwestern frontier, is recognized by UNESCO as a heritage site of world value. A permit to track gorillas there costs at least US$500 and the World Wildlife Fund estimates that each gorilla brings in up to US$1 million in revenue each year for the East African country. Last year’s census shows a stunning recovery for a species that once faced a real threat of extinction. Mountain gorillas in the wild still face threats ranging from habitat loss to poaching, especially in the DR Congo, where lawlessness in the country’s vast eastern territory has allowed illegal hunters to prosper. Mountain gorillas are also hunted for their meat in the DR Congo, according to the World Wildlife Fund.

Even a common cold can kill a mountain gorilla, as the species is particularly vulnerable to respiratory diseases usually associated with humans. The conservation group Gorilla Doctors said the population growth was partly due to “extreme conservation” methods such as daily ranger monitoring in the forest. Ugandan wildlife officials have been able to build successful partnerships with local communities in part by pouring some of its revenue into local projects, converting previously hostile local groups into advocates for the gorillas’ survival. “The mountain gorilla is the only non-human great ape that is actually growing in numbers,” Mike Cranfield of Gorilla Doctors said. “The growth of the mountain gorilla population can be attributed to the intensive conservation and collaboration between multiple conservation groups and government authorities.”

Population of Africa?s gorillas rises - Taipei Times

 

[AlexWA]

species come and species go............its called nature. Been happening a long, long time for those who didnt know.

Less than 5% of the population gets hyper-angst about it.

Clearly.........some people have waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too much time on their hands with nothing to do.


I mean c'mon s0ns...........ever take a gander and check out some of the post counts of the hyper-nutters on this board? I rest. People need to take a course on getting themselves networked.

There is a difference between a species going extinct from natural causes and a species going extinct due to deforestation and being slaughtered for parts.

 

[waltky]

Around five tonnes of seized ivory were burned in Gabon last year...

Poaching boom sees thousands of elephants killed in Gabon
6 February 2013 - More than 11,000 elephants have been killed by ivory poachers in Gabon since 2004 according to new research.

The country is home to over half of Africa's forest elephants who are highly valued because of the quality of their tusks. Campaigners say the situation in what was believed to be a safe haven for these elephants is "out of control." They blame the ongoing high demand for jewellery and other ivory products in Asia. Gabon holds about 13% of the forests of Central Africa but it is home to around 40,000 forest elephants, a smaller species that are attractive to poachers because their ivory is tinged with pink and is very hard. The new research has been carried out by the Gabonese national parks agency (ANPN) alongside WWF and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).

Cross border poachers

Dr Fiona Maisels of the WCS explained that they had analysed the population of elephants in the Minkebe national park and compared it with their data gathered in the same area 9 years ago. "Between 44-77% of the elephants have been killed," she said. "In other words 11,100 elephants have been lost since 2004." Much of the attention on elephant poaching has been in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo but with demand for ivory growing and prices rocketing in recent years, poachers have sought out the forest elephants in the vast expanses of Minkebe. And despite the efforts of the Gabonese government to bolster anti-poaching patrols, according to Bas Huijbregts from WWF, the authorities are failing. "In an area like Minkebe which is about 30,000 sq km, that's about the size of Belgium, without any roads. It is very difficult to track poachers here," he said.

Elephant poaching across Africa is said to be at its highest level in 20 years

The authorities believe that between 50 and 100 elephants per day were being killed in the park in 2011. Much of the poaching has been carried out by gangs from neighbouring Cameroon, with ivory carried across the northern border by porters. The high prices being paid for ivory in Asian markets are having a knock-on effect on attempts to control the trade in Gabon says Bas Huijbregts. "Such a high value commodity, it is corrupting governance on all levels - there are checkpoints all over the place, but no one ever detects that ivory," he said. "When arrests are made, they are often obstructed by government people who have a stake in the trade as well." In June last year Gabon's president Ali Bongo Ondimba ordered the burning of the country's stockpile of seized ivory. However the poaching continues and is leading many conservationists to question the long term survival of elephants in Africa.

Professor Lee White who heads Gabon's national park system said that despite their best efforts, the situation is running out of control. "If we do not turn the situation around quickly, the future of the elephant in Africa is doomed," he said. "These new results illustrate starkly just how dramatic the situation has become." Campaigners say that next month's meeting of the convention on the international trade in endangered species (CITES) will be an opportunity for global governments to strengthen measures against ivory poaching. In the UK, WWF are seeking a million signatures on a petition to stamp out legal loopholes that allow the ivory trade to continue.

BBC News - Poaching boom sees thousands of elephants killed in Gabon