Respiratory disease in gorillas – 07/12/2005

  • October 30, 2013 at 1:29 am #824
    Mike
    Keymaster

    This may not be Earth Shaking, but it makes sense given all the other upper respiratory illnesses we’ve seen.
    I’m taking all my suppliments and Bentonite, hope you all are too.
    Bridget

    Tue Jul 12, 2005 3:48 pm
    Hi Guys
    These deaths are second only to poaching, which is very active
    because it is very lucrative.
    Deaths, second to that is a very big statement.
    I sure hope someone connects the dots and soon for all our sakes.
    Hotter than hell here, but we are playing at Moma Java’s anyway.
    Best to all
    Bridget

    http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=mg18725074.500
    Gorilla deaths show tourists should keep their distance
    12 July 2005
    NewScientist.com news service

    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.
    From issue 2507 of New Scientist magazine, 12 July 2005, page 17

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