Mountain Gorilla
Gorilla beringei beringei Matschie, 1903
CR C2a(ii)

The mountain gorilla is the world’s largest living primate, one of the best studied, and unfortunately, critically endangered. Approximately 320 mountain gorillas survive in the montane tropical forests that cover the Virunga volcanoes in east-central Africa, a range of approximately 400 km2. The Virungas are shared by three countries – Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire), Rwanda and Uganda. The gorillas and their habitat are protected to some degree within two national parks (Virunga Volcanoes National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Parc des Volcans in Rwanda), but they are also entirely surrounded by dense human settlements and agricultural lands, as the volcanic soils of this region are among the richest in the world, and the region itself has been the site of incredibly devastating human conflicts in recent decades. Despite these threats, an international primate conservation effort has maintained long-term studies of the mountain gorilla, sustained anti-poaching efforts against relentless pressure, and has successfully established this magnificent primate as one of the premier tourism attractions on the African continent.