Eastern lowland gorilla: Difference between revisions

Eastern lowland gorilla; Temporal range: Pleistocene to recent
	Silverback in Kahuzi-Biéga National Park
Conservation status
	; Critically Endangered (IUCN 3.1)
	CITES Appendix I (CITES)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Primates
Suborder:	Haplorhini
Infraorder:	Simiiformes
Family:	Hominidae
Subfamily:	Homininae
Genus:	Gorilla
Species:	G. beringei
Subspecies:	G. b. graueri
Trinomial name
	Gorilla beringei graueri; (Matschie, 1914)
	Distribution range in green

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The eastern lowland gorilla (Gorilla beringei graueri) or Grauer's gorilla is a Critically Endangered subspecies of eastern gorilla endemic to the mountainous forests of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Important populations of this gorilla live in the Kahuzi-Biega and Maiko National Parks and their adjacent forests, the Tayna Gorilla Reserve, the Usala forest and on the Itombwe Massif.

It is the largest of the four gorilla subspecies. It has a jet black coat like the mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei), although the hair is shorter on the head and body. The male's coat, like that of other gorillas, greys as the animal matures, resulting in the designation "silverback".

There are far fewer eastern lowland gorillas compared to western lowland gorillas. According to a 2004 report there were only about 5,000 eastern lowland gorillas in the wild,^[3] down to fewer than 3,800 in 2016,^[4] compared to over 100,000 western lowland gorillas. However, a survey in 2021 gave an estimate of up to 6,800 suggesting the decline was not as bad as feared although they are still facing severe threats.^[5] Outside their native range, only one female eastern lowland gorilla lives in captivity, at the Antwerp Zoo in Belgium.^[6]^[7]

Physical description

Eastern lowland gorillas are the largest subspecies of gorilla and the largest living primates.^[8] Males weigh between 150 and 209 kilograms (331 and 461 lb) based on four males, females of 76 kilograms (168 lb) although this had a small sample size. Males stand between 1.69 to 1.96 metres (5 ft 7 in to 6 ft 5 in), while females reach 1.6 metres (5.2 ft).^[9] An older weight calculated based on eight wild adult males is 169 kg (373 lb).^[10]

Habitat and ecology

Gorillas spend long hours feeding on plant matter every day. Gorillas are stable apes as they stay together for months and years at a time, much like the structure of a family.^[11] Groups of eastern lowland gorillas are usually larger than those of western gorillas.^[11]

The eastern lowland gorilla has the widest altitudinal range of any of the gorilla subspecies, being found in mountainous, transitional and lowland tropical forests. One of the most studied eastern lowland gorilla population lives in the highlands of Kahuzi-Biega, where habitats vary between dense primary forests to moderately moist woodland, to Cyperus swamp and peat bog.^[11]

Gorillas do not eat banana fruits, but they may destroy banana trees to eat the nutritious pith. The eastern lowland gorilla shows a preference for regenerating vegetation associated with abandoned villages and fields.^[12] Farmers who have come in contact with gorillas in their plantations have killed the gorilla and obtained a double benefit, protecting their crop and using the meat of the gorilla to sell at the market.^[12]

The eastern lowland gorilla has a varied plant diet including fruits, leaves, stems and bark as well as small insects such as ants and termites.^[11] Although they occasionally eat ants, insects form only a minor part of their diet. In comparison to western lowland gorillas, found in low altitude tropical forests, eastern lowland gorillas travel much less and increase their consumption of herbaceous vegetation.^{[citation needed]}

Behaviour

Eastern lowland gorillas are highly sociable and very peaceful, living in groups of two to over 30. A group usually consists of one silverback, several females and their offspring. Silverbacks are strong and each group has one dominant leader (see alpha male). These males protect their group from danger. Young silverback males will slowly begin to leave their natal group when they reach maturity, and will then attempt to attract females to form their own group.

Relatively little is known about the social behaviour, history and ecology of eastern lowland gorillas, partly because of civil war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. However, some aspects of social behaviour have been studied. For example, gorillas form harems which may include two full-grown males.^[11] One third of gorilla groups in East Africa have two grown males in their group.^[11]

Most primates are bonded together by the relationship between females, a pattern also seen in many human families. Once they reach maturity, both females and males usually leave the group.^[11] Females usually join another group or a lone silverback adult male, whereas males may stay together temporarily, until they attract females and establish their own groups.^[13] It is commonly believed that the structure of the gorilla group is to prevent predation.^[14]

Reproduction

A female will give birth to a single infant after a gestation period of about 8+1⁄2 months. They breastfeed for about three years. The baby can crawl at around nine weeks old and can walk at about 35 weeks old. Infant gorillas normally stay with their mother for three to four years and mature at around 8 years old (females) and 12 years old (males).

Threats

Threats to the eastern lowland gorilla's survival include poaching, civil unrest, and the destruction of gorilla habitat through logging, mining, and agriculture.^[8]^[12]

Bushmeat

The primary cause of the decline in eastern lowland gorilla populations is poaching for meat, known as bushmeat.^[15] It is eaten by displaced peoples residing in the region affected by the civil war, militia groups and loggers and miners.^[16] Surveys have shown that great apes, chimpanzees and bonobos comprise 0.5–2% of the meat found in bushmeat markets.^[12] Some researchers have found that up to 5 million tonnes (5,500,000 short tons) of bushmeat are traded annually.^[12] This has a detrimental effect on the eastern lowland gorilla populations because of their slow rate of reproduction and their already struggling population.^[12] Although gorilla bushmeat only constitutes a small proportion of the bushmeat sold, it continues to encourage a decline in the gorilla populations being subjected to hunting. Endangered Species International stated that 300 gorillas are killed each year to supply the bushmeat markets in the Congo.^[12]

Civil unrest

Civil unrest in the Democratic Republic of Congo has resulted in a decline in eastern lowland gorillas. The region inhabited by eastern gorillas has decreased from 21,000 to 12,000 km² (8,100 to 4,600 sq mi) in the past 50 years.^[8] This primate species now occupies only 13% of its historical area. Violence in the region has made research difficult, however, scientists have estimated that the population has decreased by more than 50% since the mid-1990s.^[8] In the mid-1990s, the population was recorded to be nearly 17,000 gorillas.

The civil war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo means military groups remain in the forest for long periods of time. Thus, poaching has increased as militia and refugees become hungry. Military leaders have also disarmed the park security guards in national parks meaning they have virtually no control over the activities that occur within the park, and those that enter it, when faced with armed soldiers. The militia groups present in the region restrict protection of the eastern lowland gorilla. It has been estimated that more than half of the 240 gorillas known in one study have been killed as a result of poaching.^[17] Researchers have also stated that it is more difficult to patrol areas outside of the park and expect to find even higher levels of poaching.^[17]

Conservation groups negotiated with rebels who control the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo to re-arm the park guards ^[17] After the war began, government funding of the park was stopped. Conservation groups,^[11] International Gorilla Conservation Program and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (German development agency) have funded the guards for the past several years.^[17]

Many multinational corporations are indirectly, and some directly, funding the civil war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo by buying illegal resources from the area or by trading resources for military weaponry.^[12] Reports from 2007 state that 14,694 tonnes (16,197 short tons) of cassiterite ($45 million USD), 1,193 tonnes (1,315 short tons) of wolframite (worth $4.27 million USD) and 393 tonnes (433 short tons) of coltan ($5.42 million USD) were exported in 2007.^[12] Coltan in particular is one of the main export resources bought by multinational corporations illegally and is growing in demand due to its use for cellphones. Traxy's alone bought 226 tonnes (249 short tons) of coltan in 2007 which is 57% of the Democratic Republic of the Congo's entire coltan. The United Nations Environmental Programme reported that resources from multinational corporations and pension funds in industrialized countries are "directed through subsidiary companies to help finance corruption and arms sales, processes that may involve 'conflict' natural resources"^[12] Private companies have been found to trade weapons for resources or provide access to weapons through subsidiary companies.^[12]

Approximately two million people, directly and indirectly related to the Rwandan genocide in 1994, fled to Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, mainly in Virunga National Park.^[12] It has been estimated that there were 720,000 refugees living in five camps in the DRC bordering the park (Katale, Kahindo, Kibumba, Mugunga and Lac Vert), 24. Deforestation occurred as 80,000 refugees travelled into the park daily to find wood. Deforestation occurred at a rate of 0.1 km² per day.^[12] Once the Congo war began in 1996, 500,000 refugees remained, putting pressure on the natural resources, including the eastern lowland gorilla.

Logging, mining, and agriculture

Illegal logging may occur from companies with no rights to the land or by legal landholders. Over-harvesting is an illegal practice often conducted by legal concession holder and encourages deforestation and illegal resources exportation. The areas logged are prime gorilla habitat and is considered an international concern. Companies involved in illegal exploitation therefore encourage environmental destruction in the area and fuel the illegal export industry controlled by militia groups.

Conservation

Park conservation

Most parks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are insecure areas restricting the access of park rangers. Although park rangers are trained to stop illegal hunting, the small number of park rangers do not have access to further training or equipment to handle the militia groups.^[12] In the Virunga National Park, for example, 190 park rangers have been killed in just the past 15 years from civil war. Laws in place enforce trans-boundary collaboration and have been proven successful in reducing the decline of the eastern lowland gorilla ^[12] Illegal extraction of resources from the Virunga National Park has been reduced by policing transportation across borders.^[12] This has reduced the financial input available to the militias in the region.^[12] Although park rangers have been successful in restricting the amount of illegal resources being transported out of the region, militias groups have retaliated by purposely killing a group of gorillas to threaten the park rangers.^[12] On 22 July 2007, 10 gorillas were killed in retaliation for the park rangers' interference with the exportation of illegal resources such as wood.^[12]

The militia have remained in control in the region as a result of the neighbouring countries. These militia groups trade minerals and timber illegally in exchange for arms from neighbouring countries, corrupt officials and subsidiaries of many multinational companies.^[12] Gorillas are also threatened directly by militia groups because of the prevalence of booby traps placed randomly throughout the forest.^[12] Although the eastern lowland gorilla population is directly affected by the violence of militia groups, their population is mainly endangered by habitat disruption from the extraction of natural resources.

Genetic studies

There was already evidence of inbreeding depression in some gorilla populations, evident through birth defects like syndactyly.^[18] A recent genome study, which included all four subspecies of gorilla, aimed to identify the levels of diversity and divergence among the remaining populations of gorilla. Results showed that the eastern lowland gorilla subspecies was in fact two distinct subgroups.^[18] This division could have been due to the small number of individuals sampled, or due to the social structures within the subspecies. Results suggest that within the eastern lowland gorilla subspecies, there is an extreme lack of variation, which could reduce the potential of the subspecies to undergo natural selection and adapt to their environment. This lack of diversity is thought to be due to a limited number of founders and low levels of migration, which has resulted in a high level of inbreeding in these small populations. Conservation interventions for the eastern lowland gorilla have suggested implementing captive breeding programs or translocations between the eastern lowland subgroups.^[18]

References

^ Plumptre, A.; Nixon, S.; Caillaud, D.; Hall, J. S.; Hart, J. A.; Nishuli, R.; Williamson, E. A. (2016) [errata version of 2016 assessment]. "Gorilla beringei ssp. graueri". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T39995A102328430.
^ "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
^ Pickrell, J. (21 March 2004). "Eastern lowland gorilla numbers plunge to 5,000, study says". National Geographic News. Archived from the original on 5 April 2004.
^ Nuwer, Rachel (24 April 2016). "Grauer's Gorillas May Soon Be Extinct, Conservationists Say". The New York Times. New York. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
^ Plumptre, Andrew J.; Kirkby, Andrew; Spira, Charlotte; Kivono, Jeannot; Mitamba, Guillain; Ngoy, Erasme; Nishuli, Radar; Strindberg, Samantha; Maisels, Fiona; Buckland, Steeves; Ormsby, Lucy; Kujirakwinja, Deo (2021). "Changes in Grauer's gorilla (Gorilla beringei graueri) and other primate populations in the Kahuzi-Biega National Park and Oku Community Reserve, the heart of Grauer's gorilla global range" (PDF). American Journal of Primatology. 83 (7): e23288. doi:10.1002/ajp.23288. PMID 34056732. S2CID 235257115.
^ "Grauer's gorilla (Eastern lowland gorilla)*". Zootierliste.
^ "Gorillas" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 October 2016. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Eastern lowland gorilla". World Wildlife Fund. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
^ Williamson, E. A.; Butynski, T. M. (2009). "Gorilla gorilla". In Butynski, T.M. (ed.). The Mammals of Africa. Vol. 6. Elsevier Press.
^ Taylor, Andrea B.; Goldsmith, Michele L., eds. (2002). Gorilla Biology: A Multidisciplinary Perspective. Cambridge Studies in Biological and Evolutionary Anthropology. Vol. 34. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 1-139-43557-4. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h "Eastern lowland gorilla". Year of the Gorilla: 2009. Archived from the original on 3 October 2013. Retrieved 2 November 2012.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u Nellemann, Christian; Redmond, Ian; Refisch, Johannes; United Nations Environment Programme (2010). The Last Stand of the Gorilla: Environmental Crime and Conflict in the Congo Basin (PDF). UNEP/Earthprint. p. 86. ISBN 978-82-7701-076-2. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
^ Yamagiwa, J (2003). "Bushmeat poaching and the conservation crisis in Kahuzi-Biega National Park, Democratic Republic of the Congo". Journal of Sustainable Forestry. 16 (3–4): 115–135. doi:10.1300/j091v16n03_06. S2CID 85668912.
^ Yamagiwa, J.; N. Mwanza; Spangenberg, A.; T. Maruhashi; T. Yumoto; Fischer, A.; Steinhauer, B. (1993). "A census of the eastern lowland gorillas in Kahuzi-Biega National Park with reference to the Mountain Gorillas G. g. beringei in the Virunga region, Zaire". Biological Conservation. 64: 83–89. doi:10.1016/0006-3207(93)90386-f.
^ "WWF - Threats to gorillas". WWF – World Wide Fund For Nature. Archived from the original on 8 January 2012.
^ Wilkie and Carpenter, 1999; Fa et al., 2000; Brashares et al., 2004; Ryan and Bell, 2005; Poulsen et al., 2009.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Vogel, Gretchen (31 March 2000). "Conflict in Congo Threatens Bonobos and Rare Gorillas". Science. 287 (5462): 2386–2387. doi:10.1126/science.287.5462.2386. JSTOR 3074721. PMID 10766608. S2CID 7902648.
^ ^a ^b ^c Xue, Yali; Prado-Martinez, Javier; Sudmant, Peter H.; Narasimhan, Vagheesh; Ayub, Qasim; Szpak, Michal; Frandsen, Peter; Chen, Yuan; Yngvadottir, Bryndis (10 April 2015). "Mountain gorilla genomes reveal the impact of long-term population decline and inbreeding". Science. 348 (6231): 242–245. Bibcode:2015Sci...348..242X. doi:10.1126/science.aaa3952. ISSN 0036-8075. PMC 4668944. PMID 25859046.

External links

ARKive - images and movies of the eastern gorilla (Gorilla beringei)
The Last Stand of the Gorilla: Environmental Crime and Conflict in the Congo. United Nations Environmental Programme.

[iucn-1] Plumptre, A.; Nixon, S.; Caillaud, D.; Hall, J. S.; Hart, J. A.; Nishuli, R.; Williamson, E. A. (2016) [errata version of 2016 assessment]. "Gorilla beringei ssp. graueri". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T39995A102328430.

[2] "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 14 January 2022.

[3] Pickrell, J. (21 March 2004). "Eastern lowland gorilla numbers plunge to 5,000, study says". National Geographic News. Archived from the original on 5 April 2004.

[4] Nuwer, Rachel (24 April 2016). "Grauer's Gorillas May Soon Be Extinct, Conservationists Say". The New York Times. New York. Retrieved 25 April 2016.

[5] Plumptre, Andrew J.; Kirkby, Andrew; Spira, Charlotte; Kivono, Jeannot; Mitamba, Guillain; Ngoy, Erasme; Nishuli, Radar; Strindberg, Samantha; Maisels, Fiona; Buckland, Steeves; Ormsby, Lucy; Kujirakwinja, Deo (2021). "Changes in Grauer's gorilla (Gorilla beringei graueri) and other primate populations in the Kahuzi-Biega National Park and Oku Community Reserve, the heart of Grauer's gorilla global range" (PDF). American Journal of Primatology. 83 (7): e23288. doi:10.1002/ajp.23288. PMID 34056732. S2CID 235257115.

[Zootierliste-6] "Grauer's gorilla (Eastern lowland gorilla)*". Zootierliste.

[7] "Gorillas" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 October 2016. Retrieved 16 August 2016.

[worldwildlife-8] "Eastern lowland gorilla". World Wildlife Fund. Retrieved 23 October 2012.

[9] Williamson, E. A.; Butynski, T. M. (2009). "Gorilla gorilla". In Butynski, T.M. (ed.). The Mammals of Africa. Vol. 6. Elsevier Press.

[10] Taylor, Andrea B.; Goldsmith, Michele L., eds. (2002). Gorilla Biology: A Multidisciplinary Perspective. Cambridge Studies in Biological and Evolutionary Anthropology. Vol. 34. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 1-139-43557-4. Retrieved 23 October 2022.

[yog2009-11] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h "Eastern lowland gorilla". Year of the Gorilla: 2009. Archived from the original on 3 October 2013. Retrieved 2 November 2012.

[nellemann-12] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u Nellemann, Christian; Redmond, Ian; Refisch, Johannes; United Nations Environment Programme (2010). The Last Stand of the Gorilla: Environmental Crime and Conflict in the Congo Basin (PDF). UNEP/Earthprint. p. 86. ISBN 978-82-7701-076-2. Retrieved 23 October 2022.

[13] Yamagiwa, J (2003). "Bushmeat poaching and the conservation crisis in Kahuzi-Biega National Park, Democratic Republic of the Congo". Journal of Sustainable Forestry. 16 (3–4): 115–135. doi:10.1300/j091v16n03_06. S2CID 85668912.

[14] Yamagiwa, J.; N. Mwanza; Spangenberg, A.; T. Maruhashi; T. Yumoto; Fischer, A.; Steinhauer, B. (1993). "A census of the eastern lowland gorillas in Kahuzi-Biega National Park with reference to the Mountain Gorillas G. g. beringei in the Virunga region, Zaire". Biological Conservation. 64: 83–89. doi:10.1016/0006-3207(93)90386-f.

[15] "WWF - Threats to gorillas". WWF – World Wide Fund For Nature. Archived from the original on 8 January 2012.

[16] Wilkie and Carpenter, 1999; Fa et al., 2000; Brashares et al., 2004; Ryan and Bell, 2005; Poulsen et al., 2009.

[jstor3074721-17] Vogel, Gretchen (31 March 2000). "Conflict in Congo Threatens Bonobos and Rare Gorillas". Science. 287 (5462): 2386–2387. doi:10.1126/science.287.5462.2386. JSTOR 3074721. PMID 10766608. S2CID 7902648.

[:0-18] Xue, Yali; Prado-Martinez, Javier; Sudmant, Peter H.; Narasimhan, Vagheesh; Ayub, Qasim; Szpak, Michal; Frandsen, Peter; Chen, Yuan; Yngvadottir, Bryndis (10 April 2015). "Mountain gorilla genomes reveal the impact of long-term population decline and inbreeding". Science. 348 (6231): 242–245. Bibcode:2015Sci...348..242X. doi:10.1126/science.aaa3952. ISSN 0036-8075. PMC 4668944. PMID 25859046.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Short description|Subspecies of ape}}
+{{pp-semi-indef|small=yes}}
+{{use dmy dates|date=October 2022}}
 {{Subspeciesbox
 | name = Eastern lowland gorilla
+| fossil_range = [[Pleistocene]] to recent
 | image = Eastern lowland gorilla.jpg
 | image_caption = Silverback in [[Kahuzi-Biéga National Park]]
 | status = CR
 | status_system = IUCN3.1
-| status_ref = <ref name=iucn>{{cite journal |last1=Plumptre |first1=A. |last2=Nixon |first2=S. |last3=Caillaud |first3=D. |last4=Hall |first4=J. S. |last5=Hart |first5=J. A. |last6=Nishuli |first6=R. |last7=Williamson |first7=E. A. |year=2016 |title=Gorilla beringei ssp. graueri |journal=[[IUCN Red List of Threatened Species]] |volume=2016 |page=e.T39995A17989838 |publisher=[[IUCN]] |url=http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/39995/0 |accessdate=4 September 2016}}</ref>
+| status_ref = <ref name=iucn>{{cite iucn |last1=Plumptre |first1=A. |last2=Nixon |first2=S. |last3=Caillaud |first3=D. |last4=Hall |first4=J. S. |last5=Hart |first5=J. A. |last6=Nishuli |first6=R. |last7=Williamson |first7=E. A. |year=2016 |title=''Gorilla beringei ssp. graueri'' |errata=2016 |volume=2016 |page=e.T39995A102328430 }}</ref>
+| status2 = CITES_A1
+| status2_system = CITES
+| status2_ref = <ref>{{Cite web|title=Appendices {{!}} CITES|url=https://cites.org/eng/app/appendices.php|access-date=2022-01-14|website=cites.org}}</ref>
 | genus = Gorilla
 | species = beringei
@@ Line 15: / Line 22: @@
 }}
-The '''eastern lowland gorilla''' or '''Grauer's gorilla''' (''Gorilla beringei graueri'') is a subspecies of [[eastern gorilla]] endemic to the mountainous forests of eastern [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]]. Important populations of this gorilla live in the [[Kahuzi-Biéga National Park|Kahuzi-Biega]] and [[Maiko National Park]]s and their adjacent forests, the Tayna Gorilla Reserve, the Usala forest and on the [[Itombwe Massif]].
+The '''eastern lowland gorilla ''' ('''''Gorilla beringei graueri''''') or '''Grauer's gorilla''' is a [[Critically Endangered]] subspecies of [[eastern gorilla]] endemic to the mountainous forests of eastern [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]]. Important populations of this gorilla live in the [[Kahuzi-Biéga National Park|Kahuzi-Biega]] and [[Maiko National Park]]s and their adjacent forests, the Tayna Gorilla Reserve, the Usala forest and on the [[Itombwe Massif]].
-It is the largest of the four [[gorilla]] subspecies. It has jet black coats like the [[mountain gorilla]] (''Gorilla beringei beringei''), although the hair is shorter on the head and body. The male's coat, like that of other gorillas, greys as the animal matures, resulting in the designation "[[silverback]]".
+It is the largest of the four [[gorilla]] subspecies. It has a jet black coat like the [[mountain gorilla]] (''Gorilla beringei beringei''), although the hair is shorter on the head and body. The male's coat, like that of other gorillas, greys as the animal matures, resulting in the designation "[[silverback]]".
+There are far fewer eastern lowland gorillas compared to [[western lowland gorilla]]s. According to a 2004 report there were only about 5,000 eastern lowland gorillas in the wild,<ref>{{cite web |last=Pickrell |first=J. |date=2004-03-21 |title=Eastern lowland gorilla numbers plunge to 5,000, study says |publisher=[[National Geographic (magazine)|National Geographic]] News |url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/03/0331_040331_easterngorillas.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040405174643/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/03/0331_040331_easterngorillas.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=5 April 2004}}</ref> down to fewer than 3,800 in 2016,<ref>{{cite news|last=Nuwer|first=Rachel|author-link=Rachel Nuwer |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/26/science/victims-of-a-new-african-massacre-gorillas.html|title=Grauer's Gorillas May Soon Be Extinct, Conservationists Say|location=New York|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=April 24, 2016|access-date=2016-04-25}}</ref> compared to over 100,000 western lowland gorillas. However, a survey in 2021 gave an estimate of up to 6,800 suggesting the decline was not as bad as feared although they are still facing severe threats.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Plumptre |first1=Andrew J. |last2=Kirkby |first2=Andrew |last3=Spira |first3=Charlotte |last4=Kivono |first4=Jeannot |last5=Mitamba |first5=Guillain |last6=Ngoy |first6=Erasme |last7=Nishuli |first7=Radar |last8=Strindberg |first8=Samantha |last9=Maisels |first9=Fiona |last10=Buckland |first10=Steeves |last11=Ormsby |first11=Lucy |last12=Kujirakwinja |first12=Deo |title=Changes in Grauer's gorilla (Gorilla beringei graueri) and other primate populations in the Kahuzi-Biega National Park and Oku Community Reserve, the heart of Grauer's gorilla global range |journal=American Journal of Primatology |date=2021 |volume=83 |issue=7 |pages=e23288 |doi=10.1002/ajp.23288|pmid=34056732 |s2cid=235257115 |url=http://dspace.stir.ac.uk/bitstream/1893/32655/2/Plumptre%20et%20al%202021-AJP.pdf }}</ref> Outside their native range, only one female eastern lowland gorilla lives in captivity, at the [[Antwerp Zoo]] in [[Belgium]].<ref name="Zootierliste">{{cite web |title=Grauer's gorilla (Eastern lowland gorilla)*|url=http://www.zootierliste.de/en/?klasse=1&ordnung=108&familie=10819&art=1071201|website=Zootierliste}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.ippl.org/gibbon/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Gorillas-done.pdf |title=Gorillas |access-date=2016-08-16 |archive-date=2016-10-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161006104427/https://www.ippl.org/gibbon/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Gorillas-done.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>
-There are far fewer eastern lowland gorillas compared to [[western lowland gorilla]]s.
-According to a 2004 report there were only about 5,000 eastern lowland gorillas in the wild,<ref>{{cite web |last=Pickrell |first=J. |date=2004-03-21 |title=Eastern lowland gorilla numbers plunge to 5,000, study says |publisher=[[National Geographic (magazine)|National Geographic]] News |url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/03/0331_040331_easterngorillas.html}}</ref> down to fewer than 3,800 in 2016,<ref>Nuwer, Rachel, [https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/26/science/victims-of-a-new-african-massacre-gorillas.html "Grauer’s Gorillas May Soon Be Extinct, Conservationists Say"], New York ''Times'', April 24, 2016. Retrieved 2016-04-25.</ref> compared to over 100,000 western lowland gorillas. Outside their native range, only one female eastern lowland gorilla lives in captivity, at the [[Antwerp Zoo]] in [[Belgium]].<ref name="Zootierliste">{{cite web |title=Zootierliste |url=http://www.zootierliste.de/en/?klasse=1&ordnung=108&familie=10819&art=1071201}}</ref><ref>[https://www.ippl.org/gibbon/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Gorillas-done.pdf]</ref>
 ==Physical description==
@@ Line 26: / Line 32: @@
 [[File:Gorille 05 MHNLille.JPG|thumb|Skeleton and stuffed of Eastern lowland gorilla at [[Musée d'Histoire Naturelle de Lille|MHNLille]]]]
-Eastern lowland gorillas are the largest subspecies of [[gorilla]] and the largest living primates.<ref name="worldwildlife" /> Males have an average weight of {{convert|210|kg|lb}}, females of {{convert|100|kg|lb}}. The maximum standing height for males is {{convert|1.85|m|ft}}, while females reach {{convert|1.6|m|ft}}.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Williamson|first1=E.A.|last2=Butynski|first2=T.M.|year=2009|chapter=Gorilla gorilla|title=The Mammals of Africa|editor=Butynski, T.M.|volume=6|publisher=Elsevier Press}}</ref> An older weight calculated based on eight wild adult males is 169&nbsp;kg.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Taylor A. B., Goldsmith M. L.|year=2002|title=Gorilla biology: a multidisciplinary perspective|publisher=Cambridge University Press}}</ref>
+Eastern lowland gorillas are the largest subspecies of [[gorilla]] and the largest living primates.<ref name="worldwildlife" /> Males weigh between {{convert|150 and 209|kg|lb}} based on four males, females of {{convert|76|kg|lb}} although this had a small sample size. Males stand between {{convert|1.69 to 1.96|m|ftin}}, while females reach {{convert|1.6|m|ft}}.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Williamson|first1=E. A.|last2=Butynski|first2=T. M.|year=2009|chapter=Gorilla gorilla|title=The Mammals of Africa|editor=Butynski, T.M.|volume=6|publisher=Elsevier Press}}</ref> An older weight calculated based on eight wild adult males is {{cvt|169|kg}}.<ref>{{cite book|editor-first1=Andrea B.|editor-last1=Taylor|editor-first2=Michele L.|editor-last2=Goldsmith|title=Gorilla Biology: A Multidisciplinary Perspective|volume=34|series=Cambridge Studies in Biological and Evolutionary Anthropology|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=2002|url={{GBurl|id=d8d36DamYYIC|p=196}}|access-date=23 October 2022|isbn=1-139-43557-4}}</ref>
 ==Habitat and ecology==
-Gorillas spend long hours feeding on plant matter every day. Groups are stable [[apes]] as they stay together for months and years at a time, much like the structure of a family.<ref name="yog2009">{{cite web |title=Eastern lowland gorilla |work=Year of the Gorilla: 2009 |url=http://www.yog2009.org/index.php?view=article&catid=46%3Agorillaspecies&id=62%3Aelgspeciesinfo&option=com_content&Itemid=70 |accessdate=2 November 2012}}</ref> Groups of eastern lowland gorillas are usually larger than those of western gorillas.<ref name="yog2009"/>
+Gorillas spend long hours feeding on plant matter every day. Gorillas are stable [[apes]] as they stay together for months and years at a time, much like the structure of a family.<ref name="yog2009">{{cite web |title=Eastern lowland gorilla |work=Year of the Gorilla: 2009 |url=http://www.yog2009.org/index.php?view=article&catid=46%3Agorillaspecies&id=62%3Aelgspeciesinfo&option=com_content&Itemid=70 |access-date=2 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131003180451/http://yog2009.org/index.php?view=article&catid=46%3Agorillaspecies&id=62%3Aelgspeciesinfo&option=com_content&Itemid=70|archive-date=2013-10-03}}</ref> Groups of eastern lowland gorillas are usually larger than those of western gorillas.<ref name="yog2009"/>
 The eastern lowland gorilla has the widest altitudinal range of any of the gorilla subspecies, being found in mountainous, transitional and lowland [[tropical forests]]. One of the most studied eastern lowland gorilla population lives in the highlands of Kahuzi-Biega, where habitats vary between dense primary forests to moderately moist [[woodland]], to [[Cyperus]] swamp and [[peat bog]].<ref name="yog2009"/>
-Gorillas do not eat banana fruits, but they may destroy banana trees to eat the nutritious pith. The eastern lowland gorilla shows a preference for regenerating vegetation associated with abandoned villages and fields.<ref name="nellemann"/> Farmers who have come in contact with gorillas in their plantations have killed the gorilla and obtained a double benefit, protecting their crop and using the meat of the gorilla to sell at the market.<ref name="nellemann"/>
+Gorillas do not eat banana fruits, but they may destroy banana trees to eat the nutritious [[pith]]. The eastern lowland gorilla shows a preference for regenerating vegetation associated with abandoned villages and fields.<ref name="nellemann"/> Farmers who have come in contact with gorillas in their plantations have killed the gorilla and obtained a double benefit, protecting their crop and using the meat of the gorilla to sell at the market.<ref name="nellemann"/>
-Eastern lowland gorilla has a varied plants diet including fruits, leaves, stems and bark as well as small insects such as ants and termites.<ref name="yog2009"/> Although they occasionally eat ants, insects form only a minor part of their diet. In comparison to western lowland gorillas, found in low altitude tropical forests.
+The eastern lowland gorilla has a varied plant diet including fruits, leaves, stems and bark as well as small insects such as ants and termites.<ref name="yog2009"/> Although they occasionally eat ants, insects form only a minor part of their diet. In comparison to western lowland gorillas, found in low altitude tropical forests, eastern lowland gorillas travel much less and increase their consumption of herbaceous vegetation.{{citation needed|date=June 2023}}
 == Behaviour ==
@@ Line 43: / Line 49: @@
 Eastern lowland gorillas are highly sociable and very peaceful, living in groups of two to over 30. A group usually consists of one silverback, several females and their offspring. Silverbacks are strong and each group has one dominant leader (see [[alpha male]]). These males protect their group from danger. Young silverback males will slowly begin to leave their natal group when they reach maturity, and will then attempt to attract females to form their own group.
-Relatively little is known about the social behaviour, history and ecology of eastern lowland gorillas, partly because civil war in the [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]]. However, some aspects of social behaviour have been studied. For example, gorillas form [[Harem (zoology)|harems]] which may include two full-grown males.<ref name="yog2009"/> One third of gorilla groups in East Africa have two grown males in their group.<ref name="yog2009"/>
+Relatively little is known about the social behaviour, history and ecology of eastern lowland gorillas, partly because of civil war in the [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]]. However, some aspects of social behaviour have been studied. For example, gorillas form [[Harem (zoology)|harems]] which may include two full-grown males.<ref name="yog2009"/> One third of gorilla groups in East Africa have two grown males in their group.<ref name="yog2009"/>
-Most primates are bonded together by the relationship between females, a pattern also seen in many human families. Once they reach maturity, both females and males usually leave the group.<ref name="yog2009"/> Females usually join another group or a lone silverback adult male, whereas males may stay together temporarily, until they attract females and establish their own groups.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Yamagiwa |first=J |year=2003 |title=Bushmeat poaching and the conservation crisis in Kahuzi-Biega National Park, Democratic Republic of the Congo |journal=Journal of Sustainable Forestry |doi=10.1300/j091v16n03_06 |volume=16 |pages=115–135}}</ref> It is commonly believed that the structure of the gorilla group is to prevent predation.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Yamagiwa |first=J. |author2=N. Mwanza |last3=Spangenberg |first3=A. |author4=T. Maruhashi |author5=T. Yumoto |last6=Fischer |first6=A. |last7=Steinhauer |first7=B. |title=A census of the eastern lowland gorillas in Kahuzi-Biega National Park with reference to the Mountain Gorillas G. g. beringei in the Virunga region, Zaire |journal=Biological Conservation |doi=10.1016/0006-3207(93)90386-f|volume=64 |pages=83–89}}</ref>
+Most primates are bonded together by the relationship between females, a pattern also seen in many human families. Once they reach maturity, both females and males usually leave the group.<ref name="yog2009"/> Females usually join another group or a lone silverback adult male, whereas males may stay together temporarily, until they attract females and establish their own groups.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Yamagiwa |first=J |year=2003 |title=Bushmeat poaching and the conservation crisis in Kahuzi-Biega National Park, Democratic Republic of the Congo |journal=Journal of Sustainable Forestry |doi=10.1300/j091v16n03_06 |volume=16 |issue=3–4 |pages=115–135|s2cid=85668912 }}</ref> It is commonly believed that the structure of the gorilla group is to prevent predation.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Yamagiwa |first=J. |author2=N. Mwanza |last3=Spangenberg |first3=A. |author4=T. Maruhashi |author5=T. Yumoto |last6=Fischer |first6=A. |last7=Steinhauer |first7=B. |title=A census of the eastern lowland gorillas in Kahuzi-Biega National Park with reference to the Mountain Gorillas G. g. beringei in the Virunga region, Zaire |journal=Biological Conservation |doi=10.1016/0006-3207(93)90386-f|volume=64 |pages=83–89|year=1993 }}</ref>
 === Reproduction ===
 [[File:Eastern Lowland Gorilla Infant in Kahuzi Biega National Park.jpg|thumb|Infant in [[Kahuzi-Biéga National Park]]]]
-A female will give birth to a single infant after a gestation period of about 8½ months. They breastfeed for about three years. The baby can crawl at around nine weeks old and can walk at about 35 weeks old. Infant gorillas normally stay with their mother for three to four years and mature at around 8 years old (females) and 12 years old (males).
+A female will give birth to a single infant after a gestation period of about {{frac|8|1|2}} months. They breastfeed for about three years. The baby can crawl at around nine weeks old and can walk at about 35 weeks old. Infant gorillas normally stay with their mother for three to four years and mature at around 8 years old (females) and 12 years old (males).
 ==Threats==
 [[File:Gorilla beringei graueri01.jpg|thumb|upright|Male eastern lowland gorilla]]
-Threats to the eastern lowland gorilla's survival include poaching, civil unrest, and the destruction of gorilla habitat through logging, mining, and agriculture.<ref name="worldwildlife">{{cite web |title=Eastern lowland gorilla |publisher=World Wildlife Fund |url=http://worldwildlife.org/species/eastern-lowland-gorilla |accessdate=23 October 2012}}</ref><ref name="nellemann"/>
+Threats to the eastern lowland gorilla's survival include poaching, civil unrest, and the destruction of gorilla habitat through logging, mining, and agriculture.<ref name="worldwildlife">{{cite web |title=Eastern lowland gorilla |publisher=World Wildlife Fund |url=http://worldwildlife.org/species/eastern-lowland-gorilla |access-date=23 October 2012}}</ref><ref name="nellemann"/>
 ===Bushmeat===
-The primary cause of the decline in eastern lowland gorilla populations is poaching for meat, known as [[bushmeat]].<ref>[http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/great_apes/gorillas/threats/  WWF – World Wide Fund For Nature (also known as World Wildlife Fund, Threats to gorillas Hunting & poaching]</ref> It is eaten by displaced peoples residing in the region affected by the civil war, militias groups and loggers and miners.<ref>Wilkie and Carpenter, 1999; Fa et al., 2000; Brashares et al., 2004; Ryan and Bell, 2005; Poulsen et al., 2009)</ref> Surveys have shown that [[great apes]], [[Common chimpanzee|chimpanzees]] and [[bonobos]] comprise 0.5-2% of the meat found in bushmeats markets.<ref name="nellemann"/> Some researchers have found that up to 5 million metric tons of bushmeat are traded annually.<ref name="nellemann"/> This has a detrimental affect on the eastern lowland gorilla populations because of their slow rate of reproduction and their already struggling population.<ref name="nellemann"/> Although gorilla bushmeat only constitutes a small proportion of the bushmeat sold, it continues to encourage a decline in the gorilla populations being subjected to hunting. Endangered Species International stated that 300 gorillas are killed each year to supply the bushmeat markets in the Congo.<ref name="nellemann"/>
+The primary cause of the decline in eastern lowland gorilla populations is poaching for meat, known as [[bushmeat]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/great_apes/gorillas/threats/|website=WWF – World Wide Fund For Nature |title=WWF - Threats to gorillas|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120108100234/http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/great_apes/gorillas/threats/|archive-date=2012-01-08}}</ref> It is eaten by displaced peoples residing in the region affected by the civil war, militia groups and loggers and miners.<ref>Wilkie and Carpenter, 1999; Fa et al., 2000; Brashares et al., 2004; Ryan and Bell, 2005; Poulsen et al., 2009.</ref> Surveys have shown that [[great apes]], [[Common chimpanzee|chimpanzees]] and [[bonobos]] comprise 0.5–2% of the meat found in bushmeat markets.<ref name="nellemann"/> Some researchers have found that up to {{convert|5|e6tonne|ST|abbr=off}} of bushmeat are traded annually.<ref name="nellemann"/> This has a detrimental effect on the eastern lowland gorilla populations because of their slow rate of reproduction and their already struggling population.<ref name="nellemann"/> Although gorilla bushmeat only constitutes a small proportion of the bushmeat sold, it continues to encourage a decline in the gorilla populations being subjected to hunting. Endangered Species International stated that 300 gorillas are killed each year to supply the bushmeat markets in the Congo.<ref name="nellemann"/>
-Conservation groups negotiated with rebels who control the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo to re-arm the park guards.<ref name="jstor3074721"/> After the war began, government funding of the park was stopped. Conservation groups [[World Wide Fund for Nature|WWF]], [[International Gorilla Conservation Program]] and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (German development agency) have funded the guards for the past several years.<ref name="jstor3074721"/>
 ===Civil unrest===
-Civil unrest in the Democratic Republic of Congo has resulted in a decline in eastern lowland gorillas. The region inhabited by eastern gorillas has decreased from 8,100 square miles to 4,600 square miles in the past 50 years.<ref name="worldwildlife"/> This primate species now occupies only 13% of its historical area. Violence in the region has made research difficult, however, scientists have estimated that the population has decreased by more than 50% since the mid-1990s.<ref name="worldwildlife"/> In the mid-1990s, the population was recorded to be nearly 17,000 gorillas.
+Civil unrest in the Democratic Republic of Congo has resulted in a decline in eastern lowland gorillas. The region inhabited by eastern gorillas has decreased from {{cvt|8100|to|4600|sqmi|order=flip}} in the past 50 years.<ref name="worldwildlife"/> This primate species now occupies only 13% of its historical area. Violence in the region has made research difficult, however, scientists have estimated that the population has decreased by more than 50% since the mid-1990s.<ref name="worldwildlife"/> In the mid-1990s, the population was recorded to be nearly 17,000 gorillas.
-The civil war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo means military groups remain in the forest for long periods of time. Thus, [[poaching]] has increased as militia and refugees become hungry. Military leaders have also disarmed the park security guards in national parks meaning they have virtually no control over the activities that occur within the park, and those that enter it, when faced with armed soldiers. The [[militia groups]] present in the region restrict protection of the eastern lowland gorilla. It has been estimated that more than half of the 240 gorillas known in one study have been killed as a result of poaching.<ref name="jstor3074721">{{cite journal |last=Vogel |first=Gretchen |date=Mar 31, 2000 |title=Conflict in Congo Threatens Bonobos and Rare Gorillas |journal=Science |doi=10.1126/science.287.5462.2386 |volume=287 |issue=5462 |pages=2386–2387 |jstor=3074721 }}</ref> Researchers have also stated that it is more difficult to patrol areas outside of the park and expect to find even higher levels of poaching.<ref name="jstor3074721"/>
+The civil war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo means military groups remain in the forest for long periods of time. Thus, [[poaching]] has increased as militia and refugees become hungry. Military leaders have also disarmed the park security guards in national parks meaning they have virtually no control over the activities that occur within the park, and those that enter it, when faced with armed soldiers. The [[militia groups]] present in the region restrict protection of the eastern lowland gorilla. It has been estimated that more than half of the 240 gorillas known in one study have been killed as a result of poaching.<ref name="jstor3074721">{{cite journal |last=Vogel |first=Gretchen |date=Mar 31, 2000 |title=Conflict in Congo Threatens Bonobos and Rare Gorillas |journal=Science |doi=10.1126/science.287.5462.2386 |volume=287 |issue=5462 |pages=2386–2387 |jstor=3074721 |pmid=10766608 |s2cid=7902648 }}</ref> Researchers have also stated that it is more difficult to patrol areas outside of the park and expect to find even higher levels of poaching.<ref name="jstor3074721"/>
-[[Conservation groups]] negotiated with rebels who control the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo to re-arm the park guards <ref name="jstor3074721"/> After the war began, government funding of the park was stopped. Conservation groups,<ref>[http://www.yog2009.org/index.php?view=article&catid=46%3Agorillaspecies&id=62%3Aelgspeciesinfo&option=com_content&Itemid=70 WWF]</ref> International Gorilla Conservation Program and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (German development agency) have funded the guards for the past several years.<ref name="jstor3074721"/>
+[[Conservation groups]] negotiated with rebels who control the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo to re-arm the park guards <ref name="jstor3074721"/> After the war began, government funding of the park was stopped. Conservation groups,<ref name="yog2009"/> International Gorilla Conservation Program and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (German development agency) have funded the guards for the past several years.<ref name="jstor3074721"/>
-Many multinational corporations are indirectly, and some directly, funding the civil war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo by buying illegal resources from the area or by trading resources for military weaponry.<ref name="nellemann">{{cite book |last1=Nellemann |first1=Christian |last2=Redmond |first2=Ian |last3=Refisch |first3=Johannes |author4=United Nations Environment Programme |year=2010 |title=The Last Stand of the Gorilla: Environmental Crime and Conflict in the Congo Basin |publisher=UNEP/Earthprint |isbn=9788277010762 |pages=86 |url=http://www.grida.no/_cms/OpenFile.aspx?s=1&id=1446 |format=PDF }}{{Dead link|date=February 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>   Reports from 2007 state that 14,694 tons of [[cassiterite]] ($45 million USD), 1,193 tons of [[wolframite]] (worth $4.27 million USD) and 393 tons of [[coltan]] ($5.42 million USD) were exported in 2007.<ref name="nellemann"/> Coltan in particular is one of the main export resources bought by multinational corporations illegally and is growing in demand due to its use for cellphones. Traxy’s alone bought 226 tonnes of coltan in 2007 which is 57% of the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s entire coltan. The [[United Nations Environmental Programme]] reported that resources from multinational corporations and pension funds in industrialized countries are "directed through subsidiary companies to help finance corruption and arms sales, processes that may involve 'conflict' natural resources"<ref name="nellemann"/> Private companies have been found to trade weapons for resources or provide access to weapons through subsidiary companies.<ref name="nellemann"/>
+Many multinational corporations are indirectly, and some directly, funding the civil war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo by buying illegal resources from the area or by trading resources for military weaponry.<ref name="nellemann">{{cite book |last1=Nellemann |first1=Christian |last2=Redmond |first2=Ian |last3=Refisch |first3=Johannes |author4=United Nations Environment Programme |year=2010 |title=The Last Stand of the Gorilla: Environmental Crime and Conflict in the Congo Basin |publisher=UNEP/Earthprint |isbn=978-82-7701-076-2|pages=86 |url=https://gridarendal-website-live.s3.amazonaws.com/production/documents/:s_document/193/original/GorillaStand_screen.pdf?1486718887 |format=PDF |access-date=23 October 2022 }}</ref>   Reports from 2007 state that {{convert|14694|tonne|ST|abbr=off}} of [[cassiterite]] ($45 million USD), {{convert|1193|tonne|ST|abbr=off}} of [[wolframite]] (worth $4.27 million USD) and {{convert|393|tonne|ST|abbr=off}} of [[coltan]] ($5.42 million USD) were exported in 2007.<ref name="nellemann"/> Coltan in particular is one of the main export resources bought by multinational corporations illegally and is growing in demand due to its use for cellphones. Traxy's alone bought {{convert|226|tonne|ST|abbr=off}} of coltan in 2007 which is 57% of the Democratic Republic of the Congo's entire coltan. The [[United Nations Environmental Programme]] reported that resources from multinational corporations and pension funds in industrialized countries are "directed through subsidiary companies to help finance corruption and arms sales, processes that may involve 'conflict' natural resources"<ref name="nellemann"/> Private companies have been found to trade weapons for resources or provide access to weapons through subsidiary companies.<ref name="nellemann"/>
-Approximately two million people, directly and indirectly related to the [[Rwandan genocide]] in 1994, fled to Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, mainly in Virunga National Park.<ref name="nellemann"/> It has been estimated that there were 720,000 refugees living in five camps in the DRC bordering the park (Katale, Kahindo, Kibumba, Mugunga and Lac Vert), 24. Deforestation occurred as 80,000 refugees travelled into the park daily to find wood. [[Deforestation]] occurred at a rate of 0.1 km2 per day.<ref name="nellemann"/> Once the Congo war began in 1996, 500,000 refugees remained, putting pressure on the natural resources, including the eastern lowland gorilla.
+Approximately two million people, directly and indirectly related to the [[Rwandan genocide]] in 1994, fled to Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, mainly in Virunga National Park.<ref name="nellemann"/> It has been estimated that there were 720,000 refugees living in five camps in the DRC bordering the park (Katale, Kahindo, Kibumba, Mugunga and Lac Vert), 24. Deforestation occurred as 80,000 refugees travelled into the park daily to find wood. [[Deforestation]] occurred at a rate of 0.1&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup> per day.<ref name="nellemann"/> Once the Congo war began in 1996, 500,000 refugees remained, putting pressure on the natural resources, including the eastern lowland gorilla.
 ===Logging, mining, and agriculture===
@@ Line 78: / Line 82: @@
 ==Conservation==
 ===Park conservation===
-Most parks in the [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]] are insecure areas restricting the access of park rangers. Although park rangers are trained to stop [[illegal hunting]], the small number of park rangers do not have access to further training or equipment to handle the militia groups.<ref name="nellemann"/> In the Virunga National Park, for example, 190 park rangers have been killed in just the past 15 years from civil war. Laws in place enforce trans-boundary collaboration and have been proven successful in reducing the decline of the eastern lowland gorilla <ref name="nellemann"/> Illegal extraction of resources from the Virunga National Park has been reduced by policing transportation across borders.<ref name="nellemann"/> This has reduced the financial input available to the militias in the region.<ref name="nellemann"/> Although park rangers have been successful in restricting the amount of illegal resources being transported out of the region, militias groups have retaliated by purposely killing a group of gorillas to threaten the park rangers.<ref name="nellemann"/> On July 22, 2007, 10 gorillas were killed in retaliation for the park rangers' interference with the exportation of illegal resources such as wood.<ref name="nellemann"/>
+Most parks in the [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]] are insecure areas restricting the access of park rangers. Although park rangers are trained to stop [[illegal hunting]], the small number of park rangers do not have access to further training or equipment to handle the militia groups.<ref name="nellemann"/> In the Virunga National Park, for example, 190 park rangers have been killed in just the past 15 years from civil war. Laws in place enforce trans-boundary collaboration and have been proven successful in reducing the decline of the eastern lowland gorilla <ref name="nellemann"/> Illegal extraction of resources from the Virunga National Park has been reduced by policing transportation across borders.<ref name="nellemann"/> This has reduced the financial input available to the militias in the region.<ref name="nellemann"/> Although park rangers have been successful in restricting the amount of illegal resources being transported out of the region, militias groups have retaliated by purposely killing a group of gorillas to threaten the park rangers.<ref name="nellemann"/> On 22 July 2007, 10 gorillas were killed in retaliation for the park rangers' interference with the exportation of illegal resources such as wood.<ref name="nellemann"/>
-The militia have remained in control in the region as a result of the neighbouring countries. These militia groups trade minerals and timber illegally in exchange for arms from neighbouring countries, corrupt officials and subsidiaries of many multinational companies.<ref name="nellemann"/> Gorillas are also threatened directly by militia groups because of the prevalence of booby traps placed randomly throughout the forest.<ref name="nellemann"/> Although the eastern lowland gorilla population is directly affected by the violence of militia groups, their population is mainly endangered by habitat disruption from the extraction of natural resources.
+The militia have remained in control in the region as a result of the neighbouring countries. These militia groups trade minerals and timber illegally in exchange for arms from neighbouring countries, corrupt officials and subsidiaries of many multinational companies.<ref name="nellemann"/> Gorillas are also threatened directly by militia groups because of the prevalence of booby traps placed randomly throughout the forest.<ref name="nellemann"/> Although the eastern lowland gorilla population is directly affected by the violence of militia groups, their population is mainly endangered by [[habitat destruction|habitat disruption]] from the extraction of natural resources.
 == Genetic studies ==
-There was already evidence of inbreeding depression in some gorilla populations, evident through birth defects like [[syndactyly]].<ref name=":0">{{cite journal |last1=Xue |first1=Yali |last2=Prado-Martinez |first2=Javier |last3=Sudmant |first3=Peter H. |last4=Narasimhan |first4=Vagheesh |last5=Ayub |first5=Qasim |last6=Szpak |first6=Michal |last7=Frandsen |first7=Peter |last8=Chen |first8=Yuan |last9=Yngvadottir |first9=Bryndis |date=2015-04-10 |title=Mountain gorilla genomes reveal the impact of long-term population decline and inbreeding |journal=Science |issn=0036-8075 |pmc=4668944 |pmid=25859046 |doi=10.1126/science.aaa3952 |volume=348 |issue=6231 |pages=242–245 |url=http://science.sciencemag.org/content/348/6231/242}}</ref> A recent genome studies which included all four subspecies gorilla, aimed to identifying the levels of diversity and divergence among the remaining populations of gorilla. Results showed that this the eastern lowland gorilla subspecies was in fact two distinct subgroups.<ref name=":0" /> This division could have been due to the small number of individuals sampled, or due to the social structures within the subspecies. Results suggest that within the eastern lowland gorilla subspecies there is an extreme lack of variation, which could reduce the potential of the subspecies to undergo natural selection and adapt to their environment. This lack of diversity is thought to be due to limited number of founders and low levels of migration, which has resulted in a high level of inbreeding in these small population. Conservation interventions for the eastern lowland gorilla have suggested implementing captive breeding programs or translocations between the eastern lowland subgroups.<ref name=":0" />
+There was already evidence of inbreeding depression in some gorilla populations, evident through birth defects like [[syndactyly]].<ref name=":0">{{cite journal |last1=Xue |first1=Yali |last2=Prado-Martinez |first2=Javier |last3=Sudmant |first3=Peter H. |last4=Narasimhan |first4=Vagheesh |last5=Ayub |first5=Qasim |last6=Szpak |first6=Michal |last7=Frandsen |first7=Peter |last8=Chen |first8=Yuan |last9=Yngvadottir |first9=Bryndis |date=2015-04-10 |title=Mountain gorilla genomes reveal the impact of long-term population decline and inbreeding |journal=Science |issn=0036-8075 |pmc=4668944 |pmid=25859046 |doi=10.1126/science.aaa3952 |volume=348 |issue=6231 |pages=242–245 |bibcode=2015Sci...348..242X }}</ref> A recent genome study, which included all four subspecies of gorilla, aimed to identify the levels of diversity and divergence among the remaining populations of gorilla. Results showed that the eastern lowland gorilla subspecies was in fact two distinct subgroups.<ref name=":0" /> This division could have been due to the small number of individuals sampled, or due to the social structures within the subspecies. Results suggest that within the eastern lowland gorilla subspecies, there is an extreme lack of variation, which could reduce the potential of the subspecies to undergo natural selection and adapt to their environment. This lack of diversity is thought to be due to a limited number of founders and low levels of migration, which has resulted in a high level of inbreeding in these small populations. Conservation interventions for the eastern lowland gorilla have suggested implementing captive breeding programs or translocations between the eastern lowland subgroups.<ref name=":0" />
 ==References==
@@ Line 94: / Line 98: @@
 {{Great apes}}
-{{The World's 25 Most Endangered Primates nav}}
 {{Taxonbar|from=Q3072}}
-{{DEFAULTSORT:gorilla, lowland, eastern}}
 [[Category:Gorillas|eastern lowland gorilla]]
 [[Category:Mammals of the Democratic Republic of the Congo]]
@@ Line 105: / Line 107: @@
 [[Category:Mammals described in 1904]]
 [[Category:Taxa named by Paul Matschie|eastern lowland gorilla]]
+[[Category:Species that are or were threatened by warfare]]

v t e Apes
Extant ape species	Homo Human (H. sapiens) Pan Bonobo (P. paniscus) Chimpanzee (P. troglodytes) Gorilla Eastern gorilla (G. beringei) Western gorilla (G. gorilla) Orangutan Sumatran orangutan (P. abelii) Bornean orangutan (P. pygmaeus) Tapanuli orangutan (P. tapanuliensis) Gibbon (family: Hylobatidae)
Study of apes	Great ape language Dian Fossey Birutė Galdikas Jane Goodall Chimpanzee genome project Human Genome Project Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka Neanderthal genome project Willie Smits Lone Drøscher Nielsen Ian Redmond Elgin Center Iowa Primate Learning Sanctuary Borneo Orangutan Survival Primate archaeology
Legal and social status	Personhood Research ban Kinshasa Declaration on Great Apes Great Ape Project Great Apes Survival Partnership International Primate Day Nonhuman Rights Project
Related	Primate List of individual apes (non-human) Apes in space (non-human) Bigfoot Bushmeat Chimpanzee–human last common ancestor Gorilla–human last common ancestor Orangutan–human last common ancestor Gibbon–human last common ancestor List of fictional primates (non-human) Great apes Human evolution Monkey Day Mythic humanoids Yeren Yeti Yowie
Category

Taxon identifiers
Gorilla beringei graueri	Wikidata: Q3072 Wikispecies: Gorilla beringei graueri CoL: 5HJ8S CMS: gorilla-beringei-graueri EoL: 10372987 GBIF: 4267322 iNaturalist: 147660 ITIS: 945353 IUCN: 39995 MSW: 12100790 NCBI: 46359 Open Tree of Life: 351685
Gorilla graueri	Wikidata: Q125807243 GBIF: 9485879