Mountain and lowland gorillas face existential threats from snaring, respiratory disease transmission from humans, and habitat destruction, with welfare impacts that affect one of our closest living relatives.
Gorillas caught in wire snares suffer severe injuries that often become infected in tropical environments. A snared gorilla may lose a hand or foot, or die from septicemia. The social disruption caused by killing a silverback leader can devastate the entire family group, leaving females and juveniles without protection from rival males. Respiratory disease outbreaks in habituated gorilla groups have killed multiple individuals in documented cases. Given gorillas' cognitive sophistication and deep social bonds - they grieve their dead, comfort each other, and remember traumatic experiences - the welfare impacts of violence and disease are not merely physical but involve psychological suffering of significant depth.