Live Science Plus
World's Largest Gorillas Are at Risk (Photos)
Saving gorillas on the brink
Andrew Plumptre is senior conservationist in the Uganda Program at the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). He contributed this article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.
The Grauer's gorilla, the world's largest great ape, is named for Rudolph Grauer, who explored the Itombwe region in the eastern part of present-day Democratic Republic of Congo in the early 20th century. One of four gorilla subspecies, Grauer's gorillas can weigh more than 400 pounds and are closely related to the better known mountain gorilla. In the past two decades, these gorillas have fallen from 17,000 individuals to just 3,800, largely due to bushmeat hunting by local miners. Read more about the gorillas in Saving the World's Largest Gorillas from the Brink of Extinction.
Power in the jungle
A Grauer's gorilla silverback male.
Casualties of an unfair war
Skulls of poached Grauer's gorillas.
Worth protecting
An infant Grauer's gorilla.
Silverback Grauer's gorilla
A silverback Grauer's gorilla on a branch in a forest in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Willing to serve
Park rangers carry out an anti-poaching patrol in Kahuzi-Biega National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Get the world’s most fascinating discoveries delivered straight to your inbox.
Hitching a ride
An infant Grauer's gorilla rides on the back of an adult. Grauer's gorillas are the world's largest, and are now in danger of extinction.
Home needing protection
Bamboo forest near the summit of Mt. Kahuzi in the Democratic Republic of Congo, home to critically endangered Grauer's gorillas.
Follow all of the Expert Voices issues and debates — and become part of the discussion — on Facebook, Twitter and Google+. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher.