Eastern Gorilla - Anita Velazquez

I am Gorilla beringei, the Eastern Gorilla.  We are very similar, you and I, don't you think so?  It's quite plain to see, even if you choose to overlook that our genetics mimic one another [4].  But beside that, we do have our differences.  I live in the forests in three neighboring African countries: Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo [1]  Some of our relatives prefer the mountains, but we tend to range in the lowlands of these countries, starting at 600 meters, but we can live up to 2,900 meters, especially if humans tend to live nearby.  When we sleep, we do so in nests, and when we eat, we favor bamboo shoots, seasonal fruit, and other roots and plants [1].  We have few predators, and our food is substantial for now, so why is it that so few of us remain on this planet?

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/01/Eastern_Gorilla_area.png

At one point, when still small but nevertheless far more abundant, our numbers reached almost 17,000.  However, now we have dropped to a mere 3,800 individuals. Due to a lack of information, we have only now been officially listed as "Critically Endangered" as of 2016, and our population has dropped 77% since 1994, when our people first began to suffer at the hands of your people [1].  

The biggest threat we must face is your need for food.  The people around us are multiplying, and their lack of affordable protein is not, so they continue to search far and wide for a source [1].  For the time being, they have decided to use us gorillas as their prey.  You see, we are large, ferocious animals, but we are not fast, and so the miners and workers who are living in our area are forced to hunt us as an easy source of food, despite the fact that it is illegal to hunt us [1].  What also comes as a result of this growing human population is a need for shelter.  Because of this need, our habitat is what is lost in order for you to gain the land to protect yourselves.  Our living space is at the mercy of your need for timber, area for mining, and area for agriculture [1].

https://www.mtholyoke.edu/~hargr22b/classweb/worldpolitics/images/nine665.jpg

To top it all off, the people surrounding us have been at war for years.  Africa's World War put heightened pressure on our land, and displaced people sought refuge in our lowlands [1].  If refugees were not the ones claiming our land, then it was the rebels who took their place.  These people were the dangerous ones.  These small time hunters were given guns, and soon enough they needed food, and when agriculture was not substantial, they hunted us, and thus the cycle continues. 

https://i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/10/21/1445426350304/dd172790-375b-46db-9c4b-d6b27516227f-2060x1428.jpeg?w=620&q=55&auto=format&usm=12&fit=max&s=7b0f512978feaa06ef306bb65cb606fb

By this point, I do so hope you are aware of how in need we are of your help.  We are in need your your help to stop your people from getting rid of us entirely.  At this rate, our population will be at a 90% decrease by 2054, and to our unfortunate dismay, simply making us illegal to hunt has done little to no help [3].  This land where we reside is still in a terrible political state as a result of the ongoing violence and war.  Organizations have tried to work with the official government to help conserve our population, but the people who are in our area are still armed, and have little regard or respect for government officials, let alone some volunteers who wish to save our people.  Along with this, we are simply not of importance to the Democratic Republic of Congo.  At the moment, security is their top priority, and while you may think in theory this would help us, by ridding of the men with the guns who consistently hunt us down, it actually would do the opposite [1].  By increasing national security, more of your people would be able to settle, and eventually, they would mingle into our habitat, condensing our area until we have nowhere to go, and are eventually killed either by a lack of resources, or by hungry workers and hunters [1].

In order to help, we must aide not the government, but rather these organizations that are unaffiliated with political gain.  One such organization, the World Wildlife Fund, is attempting to gain funds in order to help rehabilitate and reestablish the boundaries and outposts of the conservation areas that have been partially invaded by government rebels [2].  This means training the staff on how to handle poachers as well as giving them the power to work with the government to create and enforce the boundaries of the reserve that protects us [2].  Additionally, the funds will help expand the reserve, for as of now, only 25% of us are protected by these reserves [1].  Their suggested ways of donation are by opening a Visa credit card account, and with each opened and functioning account, $100 is donated to our protection, or by symbolically adopting one of us gorillas, with the proceeds helping in the same way the credit card does [1].

To Donate:

1. Go to World Wildlife Foundation 
2. Scroll down to the very bottom where you can either:
1. Set up a WWF Visa account
2. "Adopt" a Gorilla to support the conservation efforts

Citations:
[1] Plumptre, A., Robbins, M. & Williamson, E.A. 2016. Gorilla beringei. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T39994A17964126. 
[2] Eastern Lowland Gorilla. (n.d.). Retrieved November 30, 2016, from http://www.worldwildlife.org/species/eastern-lowland-gorilla
[3] Milman, O. (2016). Eastern gorilla now critically endangered while giant panda situation improves. Retrieved December 02, 2016, from https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/sep/04/eastern-gorilla-critically-endangered-illegal-hunting-iucn-red-list
[4] H. (2016, June 09). Gorillas and Humans: 10 Facts on Why We are More Similar Than We Think. Retrieved December 02, 2016, from https://owlcation.com/stem/Gorillas-and-Humans-10-Facts-on-Why-We-are-More-Similar-Than-We-Think