Mountain gorillas are among the few great apes whose wild population has grown despite being endangered. Their conservation success story highlights the primacy of field conservation.
Mountain gorilla conservation provides a powerful case study in welfare-aligned conservation: these animals cannot survive in captivity, and their conservation has been achieved entirely through field investment. The success of their population recovery — from under 700 to over 1,000 — demonstrates the power of integrated conservation approaches: anti-poaching, veterinary care for injured or diseased wild animals, community benefit programmes reducing human-gorilla conflict, and habitat protection. The welfare implication is clear: for mountain gorillas, conservation money directed to field programmes outperforms any zoo-based approach in both conservation and welfare terms.