Illnesses that risk the life of Mountain gorillas in their natural habitat

Just like humans, Gorillas are one of the vulnerable animals on earth. Because we are share almost 98% DNA, Gorillas can get infected with most diseases that are suffered by humans. For this reason, that is why travelers on gorilla safaris in Uganda, gorilla tours Rwanda, gorilla trekking safaris Congo are advised not to track gorillas when they are sick and those fit for the Uganda Rwanda Congo gorilla trekking tours are advised to keep a certain distance from the gorillas.

What illnesses do mountain gorillas suffer from?

In the distribution range of the mountain gorillas, the climate is wet and cold affecting the gorillas because some gorillas fail adapt to the environment. Therefore, they are normally exposed to Respiratory tract diseases; particularly pneumonia hence it is one of the frequent causes of death in mountain gorillas. Gorillas hardly have teeth cavities. This is so because their food contains very little fruit and hence little sugar. Instead, in the mountain gorilla’s bad tartar leads to periodontitis, dissolving of the jaw bones and finally to the loss of teeth. (Tartar is a mineral buildup that's fairly easy to see if above the gumline. The most common sign of tartar is a yellow or brown color to teeth or gums.) Just like humans, Gorillas have parasites; mainly intestinal parasites (protozoans or worms) however, other parasites are specifically for gorillas. Various malaria parasites also affect gorillas, but usually they are different species than those that affect humans. Many gorillas hurt themselves when they get tied in a trap with a hand or foot as they move in the forest and in most cases, they end up getting severe wounds. When the wound gets infected, the gorilla may end up dying because of this injury. A severe danger for whole gorilla populations are epidemics breakouts. These include Viruses like the ebola virus can be transferred from humans to gorillas and vice-versa.