Overview
- The IUCN lists both gorilla species as endangered, with three of the four subspecies categorized as critically endangered.
- BIOPARC Valencia and Fuengirola house 15 western lowland gorillas, the largest group of this subspecies in Spain, and their EEP work has produced first births in Andalusia and the Valencian Community.
- Key threats persist, including poaching for bushmeat, infectious diseases such as Ebola, and habitat loss driven by deforestation, mining for minerals like coltan, and agricultural expansion.
- Close contact with people poses health risks because gorillas share up to roughly 98% of human DNA, so visitors are urged to keep at least seven meters away due to frequent respiratory fatalities.
- Fundación BIOPARC supports in-situ efforts such as safeguarding Cameroon’s Ebo Forest after an international campaign halted planned exploitation, protecting a vital habitat for gorillas and other primates.