It's World Gorilla Day. Three subspecies are "critically endangered." But there's also some good news.

Poaching , habitat destruction, and the spread of viruses are the main causes pushing gorillas toward extinction, with populations declining by up to 80% in some cases. The WWF is raising the alarm on the eve of World Gorilla Day , celebrated on September 24.

In reality, when we talk about 'gorillas' in general, we're referring to four subspecies, one of which, the western lowland gorilla , with over 300,000 individuals, is doing quite well. And that's good news. One of the few, in fact, for these extraordinary primates.

More specifically, the Gorilla genus is divided into two species, the western gorilla (Gorilla gorilla) and the eastern gorilla (Gorilla beringei), each with two recognized subspecies that have unique ranges and ecological characteristics. The western gorilla (Gorilla gorilla) comprises the western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) and the Cross River gorilla (Gorilla gorilla diehli), which are found primarily in Central and West Africa. The eastern gorilla (Gorilla beringei) comprises the eastern lowland gorilla (Gorilla beringei graueri) and the mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei), which inhabit the forests of Central Africa.

The western lowland gorilla

The western lowland gorilla is the most widespread and numerous gorilla subspecies, but also the most endangered, so much so that the IUCN has classified it as "Critically Endangered", due to a rapid and severe decline that has led some researchers to estimate that by 2070 the population could suffer a reduction of up to 80%, going from the current 316,000 individuals to around 60,000.

The Cross River Gorillas

Only the Cross River gorillas , the most endangered subspecies, fare worse, with an estimated population of 200 to 300 individuals. Their distribution is extremely fragmented, with groups concentrated only along the Nigeria-Cameroon border. This subspecies is also classified as "Critically Endangered" by the IUCN , precisely because of its small population size, which puts its survival at risk for the foreseeable future.

Eastern lowland gorillas

The history of the eastern lowland gorilla , also known as Grauer's gorilla, is one of catastrophic population collapse. Its total population fell from approximately 16,900 individuals in 1994–1995 to just 3,800 in 2015, a 77% decline in a single generation . The causes of the decline, such as forest destruction (also due to the expansion of mining activities in many African countries) and poaching, are exacerbated by an unstable sociopolitical context in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The mountain gorilla

Finally, the mountain gorilla, which, thanks also to the efforts of the WWF, has seen its population grow, going from 254 individuals in 1981 to 1,063 in 2019. This increase has led to its reclassification from "Critically Endangered" to "Endangered" by the IUCN.

The strategy? Simple: combat poaching through daily, close monitoring of individuals by rangers and biologists, particularly in Virunga Volcanoes National Park. This commitment has seen the WWF play a leading role in recent decades, alongside the park rangers.