What is the percentage of extinction among silverback gorillas?

Answer 1

The percentage of extinction among silverback gorillas runs parallel to that of the gorilla population as a whole. First, silverback gorillas are the mature males of the species -- whichever one you choose. There are two species (the Mountain and the Western), and four or five (take your pick) subspecies, depending on whose research you'd care to support. Let's look at the gorilla itself, which is considered an endangered species across all its branches.

There were extensive studies and population assessments in the 1980's, and more some twenty years later. The numbers returned from studies in 2007 showed a significant decline when comparisons were made to the '80's census. Between poaching, habitat destruction and (oddly) Ebola viral fatalities, the gorilla population has been skidding. It should be noted, however, that the most recent studies have shown that pockets of the creatures were found in places that were not included in previous surveys. This pushes numbers higher, as one might expect. Almost all of the gorillas counted were the subspecies known as the Western Lowland.

The Mountain Gorilla numbers in the hundreds of animals while the Lowland Gorilla has numbers in the range of 100,000 or so. The numbers, as well as the habitat and the range of the latter animal, are such that they are difficult to count. In any case, the counts of the mature males of any species of gorilla will generally track proportionally with those of the species as a whole.