Owing to their close genetic resemblance to man, gorillas, along with the rest of the pongids, have been the subject of a great deal of interest.

There are three subspecies of gorilla: the western lowland gorilla, inhabiting the dense rain forest of the Gulf of Guinea, the eastern lowland gorilla (G. g. graveri), limited almost exclusively to the Kahuzi-Biega National Park in Zaire, and the mountain gorilla (G. g. beringei), inhabiting a very small area of the Virunga volcanoes lying in Zaire, Uganda and Rwanda.

There are now barely 10,000 gorillas living in the wild, of which over 9,000 are western lowland gorillas.

The hunting of gorillas and the trade in trophies are now strictly prohibited and the greatest threats to their survival are now the clearing of forests for cultivation and illegal hunting.

The western lowland gorilla is vegetarian and lives in family groups led by a dominant "silverback" male, distinguished by a saddle of grey hair on its lower back.