🤯 Did You Know (click to read)
Mountain gorillas are found only in Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Current estimates place the global population of mountain gorillas at just over 1,000 individuals, confined to two isolated regions in Central Africa. This number includes every infant, adult, and aging silverback alive on Earth. Unlike widespread species numbering in the millions, mountain gorillas exist as a tiny, fragmented population. Their limited range makes them highly vulnerable to localized disasters such as disease outbreaks or armed conflict. Intensive conservation efforts have driven modest growth in recent decades, but the margin for error remains narrow. Every birth shifts statistical survival probability. Their entire species survival rests on numbers smaller than many small towns.
💥 Impact (click to read)
To visualize the scale, 1,100 individuals is fewer than the capacity of a single major concert venue. That is the sum total of a great ape subspecies. Genetic diversity within such a small population is inherently constrained, increasing long-term vulnerability. Unlike abundant wildlife, mountain gorillas cannot absorb sustained losses. Each individual represents nearly one-tenth of one percent of the entire population.
Conservation gains have demonstrated that extinction is reversible under coordinated action. However, political instability, habitat encroachment, and climate shifts could reverse progress rapidly. A species reduced to four-digit population size lives perpetually close to the edge. The difference between survival and extinction can hinge on a single epidemic season. Their continued existence is statistically fragile.
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