Threat of Endangerment: The Mountain Gorilla :: essays research papers

The vision gorilla was number one discovered roaming the Virunga Volcanoes in Rwanda (von Beringe, 2002, p.9). German senior pilot Robert von Beringe and his African soldiers stumbled upon two business deal gorillas around the volcanic region on October 17, 1902 (von Beringe, 2002, p.9). Von Beringe captured and killed one of them and sent the body to the Zoological Museum in Berlin, Germany. Professor capital of Minnesota Matschie, who worked with the museum, identified the gorilla as a new class and comprised it after(prenominal) its founder Gorilla beringei beringei (von Beringe, 2002, p.10). Twenty-three years after, American naturalist Carl Akeley persuaded ability Albert of Belgium to turn a Belgian trust territory, near Rwanda, into a subject field park for the conservation of mountain gorillas. The Albert National Park, later named the Virunga National Park, was the first park established in Africa (Ngowi, 2002).Between 1960 and 1980, American zoologists studied moun tain gorillas. George Schaller spent one year doing basic study on the animal. Dian Fossey accustomed her life to extensively studying and protecting mountain gorillas. Fossey moved to Rwanda to be closer to the animals and set up the Karisoke Research Center in 1967 (Robbins et al., 2001). She direct the center for thirteen years, learning the habits and gaining the acceptance of the mountain gorillas (Robbins et al., 2001). In 1983, she wrote a book, Gorillas in the Mist, to promote public awareness of the troubles mountain gorillas face. Her memoir was later made into a movie. Her relationship with mountain gorillas and concern for their safeguard was unmatched. She created an memorial tablet to save gorillas in 1978 called the Digit Fund, named after a mountain gorilla Fossey was close to (Robbins et al., 2001). After her mysterious death in 1985, the organization switched its name to the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International. Fossey contributed to much understanding of moun tain gorillas.Dian Fossey was so control to protect mountain gorillas because they are an endangered species. Several threats have kept their population from thriving. One threat is disease, especially those which humans are equally as vulnerable to (Ferber, 2000). Tourists enjoy visiting the mountains of Rwanda to admire the gorillas and encourage their safety however, humans help put mountain gorillas at risk. In 1999, a team of researchers with the Journal of Parasitology noted roundworm parasites in the feces of mountain gorillas (Ferber, 2000). These parasites normally have affected only humans through contaminate water. Early, in 1988, blood and tissue samples of several mountain gorillas indicated measles infection (Ferber, 2000).