Mountain gorillas survived hunting, war, and habitat loss
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In Central Africa, scientists first identified mountain gorillas ( Gorilla beringei beringei ) in the early 20th century after German army officer Friedrich Robert von Beringe shot two of the animals in 1902 while attempting to map the border of the Congo. Von Beringe sent remains to the Berlin Zoo, revealing a gorilla subspecies previously unknown to the Western world.
Throughout the 1900s, the gorilla population declined due to habitat destruction from logging and farming, as well as poaching for trophies and the illegal animal trade. The species also suffered during periods of conflict. Following the Rwandan genocide in 1994 and subsequent civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo, refugee camps and fighting spilled into gorilla habitats. Despite these ongoing threats, conservation efforts began to show results in the late 2000s. In 2008, around 680 mountain gorillas remained.
By 2018, a census counted 1075 individuals, prompting the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to change the species’ status from critically endangered to endangered. Conservation work, partnerships, and the dedication of park rangers continue to protect these primates and support their recovery.
