DO GORILLAS HAVE ENEMIES? DO GORILLAS HAVE PREDATORS? GORILLA PREDATORS
Besides humans, gorillas have few enemies. Due to their massive size and power of a Silverback gorilla, these apes also have no natural predator apart from leopards. The gorillas’ social structure also helps them to prevent themselves from being prey of other animals.
Mountain gorillas in Congo share their habitat with animals such as the African forest buffalo, African forest elephants, lions, and leopards. Leopards are big and smart felines that feed on meat from multiple animals and have the ability to kill an adult gorilla.
The main advantage of leopards is their ability to climb trees quickly and efficiently, which are the places where these primates build their nests.
Leopards rarely prey on adult male gorillas, but they do it specifically on western lowland gorillas. Usually, they avoid “silverback” leaders that are stronger and focus on young individuals.
Usually, humans do not hunt gorillas for bushmeat, but gorillas are also commonly killed by traps and snares set by humans to capture small animals. Poachers often kill them for their heads, hands, and feet which are sold to collectors.
The Virunga gorillas are especially vulnerable to animal trafficking for the illegal pet trade. With young gorillas on the black market worth between $1,000 and $5,000, poachers searching for infants and juveniles will kill and harm other members of the family in the process. The most recent case was the killing of a Silverback named Rafiki in June 2020 in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda.
if you are to trek gorillas in Uganda in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park & Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, Rwanda in Volcanoes National Park or the Democratic Republic of Congo in Virunga National Park and Kahuzi Biega National Park
GORILLA FACTS FAQs
- what is a gorilla?
- Where do gorillas get their name from?
- How many species of gorillas are there?
- Where can you see gorillas in Africa?
- What is the size of the Mountain gorilla?
- What’s the biggest type of gorilla?
- What makes mountain gorillas unique? |What is special about mountain gorillas?
- How do mountain gorillas look like/What special features do mountain gorillas have?
- What is special about a mountain gorilla’s nose? /Do gorillas have unique nose prints?
- What is the daily life of a gorilla like?
- How do mountain gorillas move?
- Can a mountain gorilla climb? /Can gorillas climb trees?
- Do gorillas live alone? /Do mountain gorillas live in families?
- Do gorillas live in nests? /Do gorillas build nests?
- What do mountain gorillas eat? /Will a gorilla eat a human?
- How much does a gorilla eat per day?
- Why does gorilla have canines?
- How do Gorillas communicate?
- How smart is a mountain gorilla? How intelligent are gorillas?
- Why do gorillas beat their chest?
- Do female gorillas beat their chests?
- Why can’t you look at gorilla’s eyes?
- Can a gorilla be a pet?
- What is a baby gorilla called?
- How many babies do female gorillas have?
- How long do baby gorillas stay with their mothers?
- What is the average life span of a mountain gorilla? /How long does a gorilla live?
- Are mountain gorillas friendly? /Are gorillas gentle?
- Can mountain gorillas be aggressive? /Are gorillas aggressive?
- How strong is a mountain gorilla? /How strong is a silverback gorilla?
- What is a gorilla afraid of? /What do gorillas fear?
- Are there mountain gorillas in zoos?
- How many mountain gorillas are left in the world?
- Why are mountain gorillas endangered?
- How can we help save mountain gorillas?