🤯 Did You Know (click to read)
Mountain gorillas are one of the only great apes whose population has increased in recent decades.
By the 1980s, mountain gorilla numbers had fallen below 700 individuals due to poaching, habitat destruction, and civil conflict. At that scale, extinction was a realistic and imminent outcome. Small populations face genetic bottlenecks, reduced diversity, and heightened vulnerability to disease outbreaks. Conservation interventions, including anti-poaching patrols and regulated tourism, slowly reversed the decline. Today, estimates exceed 1,000 individuals, marking a rare conservation rebound among great apes. However, the margin remains razor thin. A single epidemic could erase decades of progress.
💥 Impact (click to read)
To understand the scale, 700 individuals is fewer than the passengers on eight fully loaded jumbo jets. That was the entire global population. Every birth and every death materially shifted extinction probability. Unlike species with millions of members, recovery required precise, coordinated international action. Protected areas in Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo became critical lifelines.
Despite population growth, mountain gorillas remain classified as endangered. Genetic diversity remains limited from the historical bottleneck. Political instability in the region continues to pose risks. Their recovery stands as proof that extinction is not inevitable, yet it also demonstrates how close humanity brought them to disappearance. The difference between survival and oblivion was measured in mere hundreds.
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