A mountain gorilla/Richard Ruggiero, USFWS
In these times when America seems possibly more divided than at any time since the Civil War, is it good to discover how much more civilized our world than that of our primate cousins?
Or is bad to have the idyllic myth of nature’s Eden again shattered by the reality that humans aren’t the only animals who kill their own kind and that, in fact, some of our distant cousins make us appear, well, civilized?
Consider the news that comes now from scientists studying the mountain gorillas of the Virunga massif at the border of Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Conservationists have long been trying to save those animals as the ever-growing human population of Africa squeezes the big apes out of their habitat. But now they’ve run into a problem.
The gorillas, it appears, don’t get along well.
Gorilla wars
Their peer-reviewed study concluded that an analysis of 50 years of data on the gorillas “reveals that social behavior changes observed at high group density” – not food shortages or shrinking habitat per se – might now be the major factor limiting population growth.”
The findings, they warn, suggest the gorillas might become a harder species to save as their habitat continues to shrink, adding to the already well documented food and predation problems confronting isolated or so-called “island populations” of wildlife.
Alaska is home to a classic case of the latter that illustrated both the problems of trying to keep hungry, isolated populations from destroying their own habitat either by devouring all the edible vegetation or, in the case of predators, killing all their prey.
With Sitka blacktail deer overrunning, Coronation Island – an isolated, 28-square mile forested outcrop in the Gulf of Alaska just off the Panhandle south of Sitka – the Alaska Department of Fish and Game 60 years ago decided to try to “balance” nature.
Armed with good intentions, the agency released four wolves – two males and two females – on the island in October 1960. By 1964, 13 wolves were thought to be living there, and deer were reported absent on the north side of the island.
Unfortunately, nature being the kill or be killed world that is, the deer couldn’t escape the growing wolf populations for long.
When Merriam returned to the island in December 1967 “with new snow and good tracking conditions, there was evidence of only one wolf, indicated by urination marks to be a female,” Klein said. “No deer tracks were seen. Three wolf scats collected contained deer in one, seal in another, and rodents and chitons were in the third.”
Three years later, Merriam spent 10 days on the island and found a single, fresh wolf track but no tracks of deer. The wolf had been reduced to eating nothing but seals, birds, rodents and marine invertebrates.
The diet might have been enough to sustain foxes. It was not enough to sustain wolves. By the 1980s, the last wolf was gone from the island.
Klein’s study concluded the island was “too small to sustain populations of both deer and wolves.”
Other studies have reached similar conclusions. Herbivores inhabiting small ranges must be managed to prevent them from destroying the vegetation on which they depend, and if predators are added to the mix, they must sometimes be controlled to keep them from killing off all the prey.
New problem
But the African case appears to be the first in which scientists have encountered social conflict as a population limiting problem, although the African researchers noted past studies suggesting the “frequency of aggressive behaviors is expected to increase when group density increases, which may have negative consequences for the population growth rate.”
The new study says the negative consequences are now documented. The researchers found that as the density of gorilla social groups – what one might call tribes – grew, the gorillas began to wage war on each other with both the males leading social groups and lone males especially targeting young gorillas.
“The proportion of infanticide committed by group silverbacks (68 percent) and solitary males (32 males) was consistent with the proportions of group-group encounters and group-solitary male encounters,” thet wrote, “revealing that solitary males were not more likely to engage in infanticide than group males.
“Because infants represented 22 percent of the study subpopulation on average between 2000 and 2006, the increase in infanticide was responsible for an estimated 1.54 percent decrease in the growth rate of the study subpopulation. The annual growth rate dropped from an estimated 5.05 percent in 2000 to 2.37 percent in 2017, corresponding to a 2.68 percent decline.”
It wasn’t just young gorillas that got killed, however.
“Violent encounters between social units also increased mature male mortality. During the 2007–2017 period, seven mature males died after being wounded during an encounter with another social unit, compared with one in the 2000–2006 period,” the scientists said. “These deaths will likely not have the same direct, long-term demographic consequences as infant mortality because female fertility does not depend on the number of males. However, dominant males protect their group’s infants against extra-group males, and their death is often followed by a rise in infanticide.”
The scientists warned that bad behavior is now threatening to stall the growth in the population of gorillas around the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund’s Karisoke Research Center, where the number of gorillas has been on the upswing since 1968.
Bad business
The scientist said it is possible food plays some undefined part in the gorillas’ troubles, but it isn’t an obvious problem “as feeding competition is low overall, and there was no evidence of an overall decline in food availability in the study area between the 1980s and 2010.
“In a study focusing on five key food plant species accounting for 70 percent of the gorilla diet, (another researcher) found that the biomass of three species increased between 1988–1989 and 2009–2010, while the biomass of the remaining two species declined.”
Home range sizes, likewise, remained stable between 2000 and 2012 and “group size had little impact on group home range sizes, which indicates that feeding competition was likely low during this period,” the study said.
The most obvious problem appears to be that gorilla social groups just can’t get along, a problem often witnessed with wolf packs that regularly go to war in Alaska.
The study would indicate that members of social units are better at moderating their behavior within the group than they are at controlling themselves when they have to interact with other groups.
The study, they wrote, “suggests that the amount of space a species may require will vary depending on its social organization at any one moment in time. For example, in gorillas, three groups each containing 20 animals may require less space than six groups containing 10 animals. This is of particular relevance for the mountain gorillas in the near future.
“The Virunga gorilla population is still growing at a high, 3 percent annual rate, and we can expect group density to keep increasing in the future. As a consequence, aggressive encounters between social units will likely become more frequent. Protected-area managers should expect infanticides, injuries, and overall stress to increase. The decrease in animal welfare will have ethical implications that will affect conservation policies in place in Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.”
Gorilla tourism is a significant and growing business in Africa.
“The cost of a permit is placed at $1500 in Rwanda with a special package of $15,000 for a group with a personalized park ranger which is the highest. The next in line is $600 in Uganda while the cheapest is $400 in DRC Congo. These permits are for one hour of watching gorillas in their natural habitat. Rwanda has been able to develop their tourism product so well that the African Wildlife Foundation (in 2019) reported that visits to the Volcanoes national park has increased by over 80 percent and the country’s tourism growth has been ranked as one of the top five in Africa and a major influence is the gorilla tracking package.”
Rwanda has generally been good to the threatened gorillas, and the gorillas have generally been good business for Rwanda. The new study doesn’t specifically say that it’s bad for business to have the gorillas beating on each other for in front of the tourists, let alone killing baby gorillas.
But the warning about the “decrease in animal welfare” and the associated “ethical implications” comes close. This might be the way nature works, but it’s not exaclty something tourists want to see.
“This uglier side of nature, infanticide, the killing of baby bears by an adult (usually male) bear, is something I never wished to witness,” he wrote below. “In past years at Katmai National Park, I watched a couple of close calls where an adult tried to kill a cub.
“Well, infanticide does indeed exist in nature and this past July I, unfortunately, witnessed a large male bear kill a cub, and then brutally attack the mother of the cub when she tried to intervene.”
Bears do it. Gorillas do it. And yes, sadly, sometimes humans do, too.
But the research would indicate we don’t do it nearly as often as the bears, our distant primate relatives the apes or even as often as our less distant human ancestors once did.
Archeologists in 2014 found evidence that led them to conclude human infanticide was common in ancient Rome, a mere 1,800 years ago. We’ve come a long way since then.
Infanticide is now rare in the Western world and though Americans might now be shouting at each other and engaging in mighty wars of words, we aren’t warring either – another behavior all too common among our species until not all that long ago.
Europe was almost constantly at war from 1500 to 1800, and the battles started in North America not long after the arrival of Europeans here and didn’t really end until the early 1900s.
Steve Stine you seem to have a lot of confidence in your abilities to do great things. I wish you good luck in your endeavor to start the mega facility at Point McKenzie – manufacturing batteries.
My question to you is this… How did you read Craig’s article about gorillas and predator/prey relationships, and decide you needed to blather on about getting investors for your pie in the sky battery manufacturing plant?
Ryan,
You are welcome to share any “pie in the sky” ideas that you may have to help Alaska’s sinking economy….and make no mistake brother….it’s sinking!
I do not think I am better than anyone else, but I have committed a lot of my personal resources to this place over the last 15 years…that is why I share my ideas here on this blog…in hope that someone wealthier than myself may see merit in AK’s future (and help to create JOBS for our children who live in this great state).
I was reminded of the Lithium deposits throughout Alaska (in dormant volcanoes) when I was reading through Craig’s article that mentioned “Volcanoes National Park”.
I am just sick of the typical tribal banter that divides us as people and look for a better way forward to help us all grow together.
Sorry, if my “confidence” bothers you…but if you are interested in mining Lithium, please let me know.
I’ll try again:
“Infanticide is now rare in the Western world”
Total number of abortions in the U.S. 1973-2018: 61.8 million+
Should we give a thumbs up to Democrat heroine Margaret Sanger?
I remember when we “discovered” about 125,000 western lowland gorillas. We thought there were only about 50,000 then out of the jungle we found there were anywhere from 175,000 to 225,000. That’s quite the discovery.
“Previous estimates, dating to the 1980s, put the number of western lowland gorillas at less than 100,000. But the animal’s numbers were believed to have fallen by at least 50 percent since then due to hunting and disease, researchers said. The newly discovered gorilla population now puts their estimated numbers at between 175,000 to 225,000.” https://www.cbsnews.com/news/thousands-of-rare-gorillas-found-in-congo/
So much of what we know simply isn’t so.
Speaking of Volcanoes…I have just learned that Alaska may have the largest deposit of Lithium on Earth and it is located in dormant volcanoes across the state.
This is the ticket to economic stability for our future…think electric vehicles and batteries.
Instead of wasting money planning pipelines and railroads that never get built, AK needs to explore a path to responsible mining of Lithium.
In the last two days of market trading, Lithium stocks have soared nearly 20 percent as the reality of a Biden/Harris “green deal” takes hold on Wallstreet.
Do not miss this opportunity to get on board the new energy storage path.
Don’t forget about rare earth minerals, we get most of our supply from China and in some instances all of our supply from them. With a Harris/Biden Administration that will be sure to continue even though Alaska is flush with them. Don’t look for any new mining to be done in Alaska under a Harris/Biden Administration, in fact look for a massive slowdown and for our economy to shrink further.
Steve 0,
It will not be the Biden/Harris team that will limit mining as operations for Lithium are currently underway & expanding in states like North Carolina and Nevada.
The problem is getting private equity to invest in AK when the state has a terrible record of not following through with it’s development plans.
Look at ALL the projects that never were and you can see why Rex Tillerson has said that:
“Alaska is it’s own worst enemy.”
This won’t discourage me from looking into mining claims and prospects for Lithium.
I can see a battery manufacturing plant located at a place like Point Mackenzie utilizing material mined in AK…I just need to get an investor to get behind the idea.
Tesla has signed contracts with several companies looking to mine in the lower 48.
Alaska needs to stop wasting billions in tax credits to a dinosaur industry and get behind the future of E.V.’s.
P.S. I just watched a video of the abandoned coal mines from the area I grew up in PA.
At one time the mine was 1,000 feet deep with 5 layers of veins in operation.
The total area of just one mine in Carbon County was over 420 square miles.
As oil was discovered and the country switched from steam engine to petrol locomotive,
the mines were abandoned and the new energy sector quickly became king.
You can be certain that this new administration will lead us off of fossil fuels.
Alaska will either step up to the plate or loose their position as “energy provider”.
The writing is everywhere on the wall.
S.S,
Sure hope something comes along, or this state is in slow decline.The age of oil sure looks like its on a long slow declining glide path.
Heres an interesting read from a reliable fossil fuel analyst,that I’ve followed for years. http://www.rrapier.com/2020/10/why-vanadium-flow-batteries-may-be-the-future-of-utility-scale-energy-storage/
Step right up renewable resource deniers.
Batteries/Solar/Wind on anything other than a small house is a losing proposition.
A study in early 2018 by the Energy & Environmental Science journal found that, in order to meet 80% of US electricity demand with wind and solar, it would require either a nationwide high-speed transmission system that can balance renewable generation over hundreds of miles or 12 hours of electricity storage for the whole system.
At current prices, a battery storage system of that size would cost more than $2.5tn. That is TRILLION $$$.
A 2016 report on the value of energy storage in decarbonising the electricity sector by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the University of Chicago’s Argonne National Lab found there are potential problems with using batteries for grid-scale storage.
The study found steeply diminishing returns when a lot of battery storage is added to the grid.
It concluded that coupling battery storage with renewable plants is a “weak substitute” for large, flexible coal or natural-gas combined-cycle plants – ones that can be tapped at any time, run continuously, and vary output levels to meet shifting demand throughout the day.
And we haven’t even discussed the HUGE environmental impact or recycling of batteries.
No thanks, I’ll stick to cheap, dependable fossil fuels.
Bryan,seems large parts of the country are in transition as we speak.Not 2018,nor 2016,but now 2020 and beyond.Heres an interesting article from same author, where the past meets the future
http://www.rrapier.com/2020/10/how-nextera-overtook-exxonmobil-as-the-largest-u-s-energy-company/
Nat Gas will be the bridge fuel for sometime to come, but crudes days are ending as a common fuel.
Most of the global major integrated oils(XOM not withstanding)have committed resources to renewables, either part of there portfolio or research or both.
The problem with”cheap, dependable fossil fuels.”,is they’re getting too cheap.Cost of extraction and transport makes it hard for industry to make a decent profit.
Dave, why do you think this “transition” is taking place? Not because solar or wind is efficient, because it is not. This “transition” is taking place because of trillions of dollars of taxpayer funds being dolled out along with “Globalist” threats and overburdensome job killing “regulations”. Oil, nuclear, coal, and natural gas are the most abundant, cheapest, and efficient forms of energy.. Take an electric car. You pay more for it, you pay about the same to recharge it, then at 80,000 miles you habe to replace the $7,000 battery. Then you have to pay a local, state, and federal disposal fee.
Just follow the control and money.
Bryan,
Ill just give you the benefit of the doubt, and merely say your wrong.Quick few minutes of googleness:
https://evcharging.enelx.com/news/blog/580-how-long-does-a-tesla-battery-last
https://www.myev.com/research/ev-101/how-long-should-an-electric-cars-battery-last
https://www.torquenews.com/8861/chevy-bolt-ev-battery-health-after-100000-miles
https://www.geotab.com/blog/ev-battery-health
/https://www.forbes.com/sites/billroberson/2019/09/30/the-clock-is-ticking-on-electric-car-batteriesand-how-long-they-will-last/?sh=20b2353121d9
In your last response, why not debate the facts as presented rather than veer off into conspiracy bs.As far as subsidies go, why do you think theres various Carrier fleets from Horn of Africa to the Straights of Malacca?
Care to guess what thats cost over the last 50 years?