Why are mountain Gorillas so important
Mountain Gorillas are herbivores that live in dense forests on mountain slopes of the Virunga ranges and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park found in borders of democratic republic of congo and Rwanda and Uganda respectively.
Gorillas are stocky apes with a friendly demeanor having 98% genetic similarity with humans making them a very close cousin to humans.
The diet of mountain gorillas comprises of roots , leaves , shoots , fruits and bamboo
A male gorilla feeds up to 30 kg per day and a female gorilla feeds up to 18kg per day.
Gorillas are known as strong animals and therefore it requires the strength of more than 5 men to defeat a gorilla.
Mountain gorilla vocalizations include ; roar , screams , pants , cries, big grunts , chuckles , hoot bark among others
Gorillas possess great significance to humans as well as the eco system in general and these include ;
Gorillas possess great ecological importance , being total herbivores , gorillas feed on vegetation and fruits in the wild forests and end up dispersing their seeds in their faeces and on their hairy bodies enriching plant life .
Mountain Gorillas are a source of revenue to the government of the countries in which they live that is Uganda , Rwanda and democratic republic of congo through tourism thereby increasing the GDP of those different countries.
Mountain Gorillas assist in scientific research being close cousins to humans. Mountain Gorillas help in scientific understanding of various domains ., primatologists and anthropologists studied gorilla behaviours , social structure and communication offering profound insights into evolutionary roots of human sociality , culture and cognition
Mountain Gorillas improve soil fertility through their faeces that have great nutrients to the soil
Mountain Gorillas have facilitated environmental conservation due to need to protect mountain Gorillas and their habitats , different conservation efforts have been put in place against devastating human activities such as deforestation which have inturn brought great returns to the environment
Mountain Gorillas have held strong international cooperation to conserve different animal species being an endangered species that spearheaded worldwide collective need for conservation thereby improving relations among countries.
Mountain Gorillas have great cultural significant as they act as symbols of strength ,courage and protection among the different communities that identify with them . Mountain Gorillas are also associated with powerful spirits and considered sacred in different African cultural beliefs thereby upholding great cultural significance.
Conclusively , mountain Gorillas carry great cultural, economic and social values .
