I chose to look at the Mountain Gorilla's not because I care about the environment or particularly endangered species. When this course first started I saw a headline about the Mountain Gorilla's being in danger since rebels had taken over their reserve in the DRC. First of all, I thought the DRC was at peace at the moment so that was a shocker to me, I thought the rebellions there had subsided for a while. Second, I couldn't truly understand what the rebels controlling the gorilla sanctuary had to do with their survival. Why would rebels want to go out and kill animals, people sure I can understand that but to slaughter animals has nothing to do with controlling land.
The most important thing about the Mountain Gorilla, in my mind, is that it is located only in Uganda, Rwanda and eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
Well, it comes around to two things, Mountain Gorillas are endangered so that opens a market for their pelts by collectors. What is more likely is that the gorillas are sold as meat, commonly known as bushmeat.
Bushmeat is any animal hunted in the wild and killed to eat their meat. Sounds suitable, there are starving people in Africa so why not allow them to hunt animals so they won't starve. However, killing animals, like gorillas, can have negative effects aside from the depopulation of endangered species. There could be links between gorilla meat and spreading of the Ebola virus, since the virus is also an epidemic among primates. Also, there are hypothesis that this is a possible way that HIV has spread. The butchering of gorilla's leads to prolonged exposure and it is possible that this contact, through skin or mucous membrane, could lead to contracting HIV.
More over, the Western world is not helping the bushmeat situation. Being prized as a delicacy bushmeat si smuggled into places and put on restaurant menus. Many species of animals, not just the Mountain Gorilla, are put in danger with this large trade, that for the most part goes unchecked. More than 150 rangers have been killed in the eastern DRC area over the past 10 years. That number is astounding, I'm not sure the last time a DNR ranger was killed on the job or if it is even reported if they do!
I have this video done by the BBC on bush meat, but being the BBC they won't allow me to embed it, so you must click the link.
4 comments:
I saw this picture and an article about it in National Geographic. What a disturbing story. It turns out that the head of the national park created to protect the gorillas was actually responsible for the killing, in an effort to cast suspicion on one of the rangers who was going to reveal a secret system of cutting park forests to create charcoal!
This is so sad. Makes me think of the movie Mighty Joe Young with all the poachers hunting the gorillas. I never thought about the HIV thing though...
Crazy pic of a gorilla!
Gorillas are one of my favorite animals of all time. They deserve better, damn it!
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