Many travelers wonder whether there are any mountain gorillas in zoos. There are no mountain gorillas in any zoo around the world. The mountain gorillas are only found in four protected areas within only three countries;
- Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in South Western Uganda
- Uganda’s Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in the Virunga Massif
- Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park in the Virunga Massif part of Rwanda
- DR Congo’s Virunga National Park in the Virunga Massif
Though eastern lowland gorillas and western lowland gorillas can enjoy lives in captivity, the mountain gorilla is one of the apes that you will never see in zoos. Some zoos in the 1970s tried to capture and protect these endangered great apes but it didn’t end well.
Why Mountain Gorillas Cannot Survive in Zoos
There are just about 1060 mountain gorillas left in the wild. These great apes were considered “critically endangered species by the IUCN and in 2018, their status changed to “endangered species’ due to the conservation efforts that have raised the number to 1063 (2018 Gorilla Census).
Mountain gorillas live in high altitude forests within the Virunga Mountains and Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. They are only found in three countries; Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. These great apes are adapted to the chillier mountain weather and in these forests, temperatures can occasionally dip below 0°C (32°F).
To date, there are no known mountain gorillas in captivity. There were a handful of attempts to keep mountain gorillas in zoos during the 1960s and 70s, but they all ended in tragedy.
One of the more successful attempts was seen at Cologne Zoo in 1969 when two mountain gorillas, called Coco and Pucker, arrived from the Volcanoes National Park of Rwanda. Zookeepers were hoping to breed the pair, but it eventually transpired that they were both females.
They managed to live a relatively happy life, surviving on a supplemented diet of spinach, celery, onions, broccoli, other vegetables, bamboo shoots, and wheat sprouts. However, in 1978, Coco and Pucker suddenly fell sick with a bacterial infection and both died within a few months of each other. An autopsy suggested that the pair suffered from congenital immune system defects.
Regardless of the duo’s underlying health conditions, it is evident that mountain gorillas almost always die young when being held in captivity. The reason for this isn’t fully understood, especially since lowland gorillas can be kept successfully and have even bred in captivity, which is a pretty sure sign they are happy.
One theory is that mountain gorillas have a very specific diet made up of 142 different types of fruits, leaves, stems, roots, and shoots. It’s hard to recreate this variety in captivity, miles away from their homeland, so it’s possible that captive mountain gorillas don’t get the nutrition they need to stay healthy. It’s also suggested that mountain gorillas may be more prone to stress, which impacts their immune system and ability to fight off infections.
It is possible, however, to keep mountain gorillas in a sanctuary setting. The Senkwekwe Centre in Virunga National Park is the world’s only facility for orphaned mountain gorillas. Here, expert rangers take care of young mountain gorillas whose families have been killed by poaching or war, providing them with food and playing with them throughout the day.
So What is the Specie Found in Zoos across Europe and the United States