Editor's Den

Raghul Patteri

Editor

After Chimpanzees and Bonobos, the Gorillas are the closest genetic relative to us. The great African Apes are an indelible link to our shared evolution with them, and the latest DNA research concludes that we not only are related to the great apes, but we are indeed one of them. Humans and Chimpanzees diverged from a common ancestor 8 to 6 million years ago and we belong to the Primates biological group, classified with the great apes.

In this edition of PT Aware, Dr. Peter Hudson inspects the fabulous world of the Mountain Gorillas and the different aspects of their conservation with the onus on the impacts brought about by habituation to humans and eco-tourism. It is just amazing how Peter finds different angles to peep into the marvelous lives of various species.

It is becoming increasingly necessary these days that conservation efforts take an inclusive view with the human element factored in. The opposite has often led to alienating the local human population with detrimental effects on conservation efforts. In this article, Peter talks about the pioneers of Gorilla conservation, the experiments on habituation with humans, and its impacts on the health of the Gorilla population and the local economy.

Our sincere thanks to the wonderful photographers who have shared the amazing images in this edition. Your images interspaced with the latest nuggets of information from the global scientific community helps us to tell the story of these awesome species. We pride ourselves on our association with the best from the worlds of photography and science to help spread awareness on the plight of different species from all over the world.

Our next edition will focus on the Hippopotamus, so please prepare to upload your best images of these giants of Africa

Back