Mountain gorillas are one of conservation's greatest success stories — the only great ape whose population is increasing. Ecotourism is central to their recovery, but habituating wild gorillas to human presence introduces genuine welfare trade-offs that require careful management.
Gorilla ecotourism is a genuine welfare dilemma: habituation removes the instinctive fear response that protects gorillas from human contact, permanently changing their behaviour and increasing their vulnerability to disease. This welfare cost is accepted because the conservation benefit — the revenue that makes gorilla protection economically viable for range country governments — is so large. Well-managed tourism with strict disease prevention protocols minimises welfare harm while maximising conservation benefit. Poorly managed tourism — too many visitors, inadequate distance enforcement, illness among visitors — can cause disease outbreaks that kill gorillas. The habituation-disease trade-off demands constant management vigilance and strong regulatory enforcement. Veterinary interventions in habituated groups (treating injuries, respiratory disease, snare wounds) are justified on the same basis: welfare interventions are appropriate because human activity created the vulnerability.