When not resting they spend most of their time looking for food and eating it. They also eat ants, termites, grubs, worms and insect larvae. The names refer to the different areas of Africa where they live. Mountain gorillas are the most critically endangered, with conservative estimates of only 400 to 600 living at this time. Koko and Michael, and most zoo gorillas, are Western Lowland gorillas.
Gorillas are shy and peaceful.
The only natural enemy of gorillas has always been human beings. In the past, whenever an infant gorilla was captured for a zoo, the mother and often the other members of the family were killed as they defended the baby. Now the most serious threat to free-living gorillas is the human population explosion. As more and more people take over the land for agriculture, logging and other development, the gorillas have nowhere left to go. Copyright 2000 Koko.