Mountain gorilla ecotourism has been credited with financing conservation that helped recover a critically endangered species, but visitor proximity and disease transmission risk create ongoing welfare challenges.
Habituated mountain gorillas live in a complex welfare tradeoff. Ecotourism funding has supported anti-poaching patrols, veterinary care, and community development programs that dramatically improved gorilla survival. Without this revenue, the species recovery would have been impossible. However, proximity to humans creates direct welfare risks: respiratory disease outbreaks have killed individual gorillas and disrupted social groups. The stress of daily human visitation, even by well-managed groups, may affect gorilla behaviour. Habituated gorillas are safer from poaching in active ranger zones but more vulnerable elsewhere. Veterinary intervention for injured or ill gorillas involves anaesthesia and handling stress. The net welfare calculus favours carefully managed ecotourism, but rigorous health protocols, strict approach distance enforcement, and visitor health screening are essential safeguards.