New Delhi: World Gorilla Day is celebrated annually on September 24th to raise awareness of gorillas and their conservation needs. Gorillas are the largest living primates and are closely related to humans, sharing 98% of our DNA. They are also highly intelligent and social animals, living in groups of up to 30 individuals. According to UNEP, there are around 1000 mountain gorillas in Africa.
Gorillas are not native to India and there are no wild gorilla populations in the country. However, there is one gorilla in India, a male western lowland gorilla named Demba, who lives at the Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens in Mysuru, Karnataka. Demba was brought to India from Germany in 2016, and he is the only gorilla in the country.
There have been other gorillas in India in the past, but they have all died. In 1980, a gorilla named Sugriva was brought to India from a foreign zoo, but it died within a year. In 1995, Israel gifted a male gorilla named Bobo to India as a mate for Sumathi, the only gorilla in India at the time. However, Sumathi died in 2000, and Bobo died in 2014.
The Mysuru Zoo is currently working to acquire a female gorilla to be Demba’s mate. However, this has been difficult, as other zoos are reluctant to part with their female gorillas.
There are two main species of gorillas: western lowland gorillas and eastern gorillas. Western lowland gorillas are the most common gorilla species, but they are still considered to be critically endangered. Eastern gorillas are even rarer, with two subspecies (mountain gorillas and eastern lowland gorillas) being critically endangered and one subspecies (Grauer’s gorilla) being critically endangered.
Gorillas face a number of threats, including habitat loss, poaching, and disease. Habitat loss is the biggest threat to gorillas, as their forests are cleared for agriculture, logging, and mining. Poaching is also a major problem, as gorillas are killed for their meat and their body parts, which are used in traditional medicine. Gorillas are also susceptible to diseases such as Ebola and malaria, which can spread from humans to gorillas.
On World Gorilla Day, we celebrate these amazing creatures and the efforts of conservationists who are working to protect them. We can all help to protect gorillas by reducing our consumption of products that contribute to deforestation, such as palm oil and beef. We can also support gorilla conservation organizations and donate to their efforts to protect gorillas and their habitat.
Gorillas are gentle giants and play an important role in the ecosystems they inhabit. By celebrating World Gorilla Day, we can help to raise awareness of these amazing creatures and the threats they face. We can also show our support for conservation efforts to protect gorillas and their habitat for future generations.