Post by Jeff on Sept 1, 2005 0:20:30 GMT -5
Taken from: NewScientist.com news service
12 July 2005
POACHING is the biggest killer of mountain gorillas, but respiratory diseases come a close second, accounting for about a quarter of deaths, according to a major survey.
Around 700 mountain gorillas live in two separate populations, one in Uganda and the other in a region that straddles Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. The animals are classed as critically endangered on the IUCN's red list, although they are the only great ape species whose numbers are increasing.
The Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project, based in Ruhengeri, Rwanda, investigated 100 gorilla deaths dating back to 1968. The team found that 40 were due to trauma, for which poaching is almost always the cause in adults. More surprising was the detrimental effect of respiratory diseases, including influenza A and parainfluenza viruses, which killed 24 of the animals.
In a bid to cut the risk of people passing these diseases on, eco-tourists who trek to see the gorillas in the wild already have to stay at least 7 metres away, and keep their visits to no more than an hour.
The populations are closely monitored, and relatively well protected. "But their overall numbers are small, and their situation is still pretty precarious," warns team member Chris Wittier at North Carolina State University in Raleigh.
Taken from: NewScientist.com news service
Letter from Chris Whittier et al
I'm writing on behalf of the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project to clarify some misstatements made in your article "Gorilla deaths show tourists should keep their distance" (New Scientist print edition, 9 July 2005).
Our study makes clear that poaching is not the biggest killer of mountain gorillas as your article states. Most gorillas in this dataset did die from trauma, but only part of that was attributed to poaching. Also, we have no evidence that any wild mountain gorillas have ever died from influenza, or parainfluenza viruses.
We do know that the gorillas have been exposed to these, or other closely-related viruses, but they have never been documented as a cause of death. Moreover, the fact that gorillas have antibodies to these disease-causing agents does not prove they have been transmitted from humans. It is possible that these viruses are circulating in the gorilla population, have been transmitted from native wildlife, or have been transmitted from animals around the park. This is an area of ongoing research.
Finally, the headline for the article is very misleading. MGVP is in no way recommending that people do not visit, study, monitor or protect gorillas. Tourism is critical in creating the economic incentive that allows for gorilla protection, and nothing in our study implies that tourism poses any additional health risk to gorillas. All of these human activities with gorillas need to continue to be very strictly controlled, as they currently are, but their prohibition would surely spell the extinction of mountain gorillas in their natural habitats.
Chris Whittier, MGVP, Ruhengeri, Rwanda
Felicia Nutter, MGVP, Ruhengeri, Rwanda
Mike Cranfield, MGVP and Maryland Zoo at Baltimore, Maryland, US
Linda Lowenstine, UC Davis, Davis, US
From issue 2507 of New Scientist magazine, 12 July 2005, page 17
12 July 2005
POACHING is the biggest killer of mountain gorillas, but respiratory diseases come a close second, accounting for about a quarter of deaths, according to a major survey.
Around 700 mountain gorillas live in two separate populations, one in Uganda and the other in a region that straddles Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. The animals are classed as critically endangered on the IUCN's red list, although they are the only great ape species whose numbers are increasing.
The Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project, based in Ruhengeri, Rwanda, investigated 100 gorilla deaths dating back to 1968. The team found that 40 were due to trauma, for which poaching is almost always the cause in adults. More surprising was the detrimental effect of respiratory diseases, including influenza A and parainfluenza viruses, which killed 24 of the animals.
In a bid to cut the risk of people passing these diseases on, eco-tourists who trek to see the gorillas in the wild already have to stay at least 7 metres away, and keep their visits to no more than an hour.
The populations are closely monitored, and relatively well protected. "But their overall numbers are small, and their situation is still pretty precarious," warns team member Chris Wittier at North Carolina State University in Raleigh.
Taken from: NewScientist.com news service
Letter from Chris Whittier et al
I'm writing on behalf of the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project to clarify some misstatements made in your article "Gorilla deaths show tourists should keep their distance" (New Scientist print edition, 9 July 2005).
Our study makes clear that poaching is not the biggest killer of mountain gorillas as your article states. Most gorillas in this dataset did die from trauma, but only part of that was attributed to poaching. Also, we have no evidence that any wild mountain gorillas have ever died from influenza, or parainfluenza viruses.
We do know that the gorillas have been exposed to these, or other closely-related viruses, but they have never been documented as a cause of death. Moreover, the fact that gorillas have antibodies to these disease-causing agents does not prove they have been transmitted from humans. It is possible that these viruses are circulating in the gorilla population, have been transmitted from native wildlife, or have been transmitted from animals around the park. This is an area of ongoing research.
Finally, the headline for the article is very misleading. MGVP is in no way recommending that people do not visit, study, monitor or protect gorillas. Tourism is critical in creating the economic incentive that allows for gorilla protection, and nothing in our study implies that tourism poses any additional health risk to gorillas. All of these human activities with gorillas need to continue to be very strictly controlled, as they currently are, but their prohibition would surely spell the extinction of mountain gorillas in their natural habitats.
Chris Whittier, MGVP, Ruhengeri, Rwanda
Felicia Nutter, MGVP, Ruhengeri, Rwanda
Mike Cranfield, MGVP and Maryland Zoo at Baltimore, Maryland, US
Linda Lowenstine, UC Davis, Davis, US
From issue 2507 of New Scientist magazine, 12 July 2005, page 17