Evening star., 1952-08-20
U. S. Gorilla Population
Nearly Double in z Years
Jungle Beasts Approaching
Extinction in Africu Now
By Thomos R. Henry

Extinction in Africu Now
By Thomas R. Henry
The gorilla population of the United
States has nearly doubled in two years.
Meanwhile the animal closest to man
in all creation may be approaching
extinction IN its native Africa.
This is stressed in a report to the
Journal of Mammalogy, official organ
of the American Society of Mammal
ogiSts, by DR.. Robert NJ. Yerkes of Yale
University.
In 1949. he points out, there were IS
OF the great apes in the United States.
Most were in ZOOS and circuSeS. Now,
due chiefly to the birthrate, there are
40. There are % males and II females.
Thirty-three are under five years old
and seven older.
While no statistics are available, Prof.
Yerkes says, three probably are only a
few hundred mountain gorillas, the
largest and most man-like species, left in
Africa. These are in the Belgian
Congo. Their habitat is almost inacces-
sible. They are protected quite rigidly
by the Belgian government.
Parent Animals Killed.
Under these circumstances they may
persist for several generations in the
face Of the high prices paid for infants,
which generally can be secured only by
killing the parents. There still are thous-
andS OF lowland gorillas, less priced
Species in West Equatorial Africa. Here,
however, they are in conflict with man.
Colonization and clearing of land for
agriculture is progressing rapidly and,
says Prof. YerkeS, 1.-THE slaughter of
adults and capture Of young is un-
precedented. I am fearful the genus
gorilla will not long survive"
All this, it is stressed, puts an addi-
tional premium on preserving the
animals in this country.
The intelligence Of the gorilla probably
exceeds that of any other animal ex-
cept man and its mental processes some
times appear quite similar, although on a
lower level. 1t was long thought. how
ever. that the gorilla was untamable and
until recently it was impossible to raise
it in captivity. Those brought from their
jungle homes soon sickened and died
from broken hearts, 1t was said.
This difficulty now apparently has
been overcome and the animals are
thriving in captivity with good diets
and some understanding of their ways
Of life.
Discovered los Years Ago.
The gorilla was one of the last of
the larger mammals to be discovered.
The first reports Of the strange, man
like creature came from American
Missionaries in Africa in 1847. The other
two man-like apes. the orangutan and
the chimpanzee. had been known for
many years. They were less secluded in
their habitats and were much easier to
keep in captivity.
While quite similar to man in many
ways the gorilla is believed to be, at the
best, only remote relative in the tree of
evolution.
DR.. Yerkes' position is that the great,
black-furred apes are invaluable as ex-
perimental animals because of their
Similarlties to humans, especially for
controlled studies of behavior. But they
hardly can be expected to survive long
without mans help.
X
Six years ago desolate. fog-shrouded.
treeleSs Adak in the Aleutians was rat
less island.
Then the Army moved in and with it
the ubiquitous brown rat which follows
the trail Of man around the world. The
attraction, it appears, were the dumps
from which the animals could get a
plentiful food supply. .-
Aleutian Rats Multiplying.
Since then the creatures have multi
piled until they are becoming serious
menace. it is reported by DR.. Everett L.
Schiller of the Public Health Services
rats have taken over.
Adak in the past has been an impor-
tant nesting site for a variety of birds.
1t is recalled that the same kind of rats.
following man, completely eliminated
the birds of Tristan da Cunha in the
South Atlantic and Lord Howe Island.
off the coast of Australia. The tragedy
may be repeating itself on Adak.
The new human food dumps proved at
first an attraction for great fiocks Of
scavenger gulls. The birds, however.
confined their feeding to daylight. Now.
according to the report, the rats remain
in hiding during the day and come out
to feast all night. During the darkness
they are fairly safe from eagles which
hover over the island and might be their
most serious enemies.
There are very few cats or dogs on
Adak. The most abundant mammals in
the past have been Arctic foxes. These
, are being systematically eliminated to
protect the birds-apparently a useless
procedure If the more omniverous rats
are to take the places left vacant.