Half of Western Lowland Gorillas May Vanish by 2040. Here's How We Can Prevent That. (Op-Ed)

By Fiona Maisels, Samantha Strindberg and Liz Williamson | May 2, 2018 01:28pm ET

Fiona Maisels and Samantha Strindberg are conservation scientists who work with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) to save great apes, elephants and other wild animals. Liz Williamson is a fellow at the University of Stirling, in Scotland, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List authority coordinator for great apes. The authors contributed this article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.

The first time one of us (Fiona Maisels) came face-to-face with a gorilla, in 1988, the animal shouted loudly and repeatedly charged within a few feet of her for half an hour. It felt like an eternity. The research station director, Caroline Tutin, had given sage advice: "If charged, stand, avoid eye contact, stay calm and pretend to eat leaves until the silverback (mature male) is convinced you are a harmless, herbivorous visitor to his home."

Back in camp, Tutin said, "You see? Nothing happened." In fact, it was an unforgettable week at Lopé National Park in Gabon that included a first glimpse of a western lowland gorilla family. A young gorilla was trying to beat her chest like the adults did but had not yet learned the trick; she failed to make the distinctive pok-pok-pok-pok sound, or indeed any sound at all. [See photos of great apes living in the African forest]

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