Because their body parts are used in medicine and as magical charms.
Photo: Bryan Lenz. All gorillas face a very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future if current threats do not subside. Hunting, forest clearance for agriculture and timber, and disease are the main threats to gorilla survival and these problems continue to increase in intensity and extent. Habitat loss and modification due to human activity is a primary threat to gorilla survival. Agriculture, logging, fuelwood and forest product collection, and grazing domestic animals all degrade gorilla habitat and are problems that only increase as the human population in Africa grows (Plumptre et al. 2003). In the northeastern part of the Republic of the Congo, even though poaching is illegal, western lowland gorillas are still being hunted for their bushmeat and the young for pets; five percent of the species is killed each year because of this. Disease has also been a factor in the survival of the western lowland gorilla. The Ebola epizootic in western and central Africa has caused more than 90% mortality rate in western lowland gorillas. up to 440 pounds. The western lowland gorilla is the most numerous and widespread of all gorilla subspecies. Populations can be found in Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Equatorial Guinea as well as in large areas in Gabon and the Republic of Congo. One of the few places that humans can see western lowland gorillas in the wild is the Dzanga-Sangha Protected Areas in the Central African Republic. The presence of western lowland gorillas has allowed humans to further the study of how gorillas compare with humans in regards to human diseases, behavior, linguistic, and psychological aspects of their lives. Disease has also been a factor in the survival of the western lowland gorilla. The Ebola epizootic in western and central Africa has caused more than 90% mortality rate in western lowland gorillas. The hunting and killing of gorillas is illegal but still the animals are killed for bushmeat or during the capture of baby gorillas for pets. In Northeast Congo, about 5% of western lowland gorillas in that region are killed each year. One of the few places that humans can see western lowland gorillas in the wild is the Dzanga-Sangha Protected Areas in the Central African Republic. The western lowland gorilla is the smallest subspecies of gorilla but nevertheless still a primate of exceptional size and strength. This species of gorillas exhibits pronounced sexual dimorphism. Disease has also been a factor in the survival of the western lowland gorilla. The Ebola epizootic in western and central Africa has caused more than 90% mortality rate in western lowland gorillas. Hunting is the main threat to western lowland gorillas. Gorillas are sought after as food (bushmeat) and pets, and their body parts are used in medicine and as magical charms. The western lowland gorilla is the most widespread and numerous of the four gorilla subspecies. No accurate estimates of their numbers are possible, as these elusive apes inhabit some of Africa’s densest and most remote rainforests. However, the total population is thought to number up to 100,000 individuals. 1 To visit the gorillas of Dzanga-Sangha in Central African Republic, contact: info@dzanga-sangha.org. 2  Give a gift! Buy a  Gorilla's Paradise  WWF gift and help support the Gamba Complex of protected areas in Gabon – home to western lowland gorillas as well as hippos, elephants and much more. 3  Buy sustainable wood. How you can help. 1  Visit the gorillas! 2  Money earned through gorilla tourism contributes significantly to the conservation of the species – providing funds for conservation projects and creating jobs and bringing other benefits to local communities living near gorillas. The western gorilla (Gorilla gorilla) is a great ape, the type species as well as the most populous species of the genus Gorilla. Nearly all of the individuals of this taxon belong to the western lowland gorilla subspecies (G. g. gorilla), whose population is approximately 95,000 individuals. Only 250 to 300 of the only other western gorilla subspecies, the Cross River gorilla (G. g. diehli), are thought to remain.
http://pin.primate.wisc.edu/factsheets/entry/gorilla/cons https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_lowland_gorilla https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/western-lowland-gorilla https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_lowland_gorilla https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/western-lowland-gorilla https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_lowland_gorilla http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/great_apes/gorillas/western_lowland_gorilla/ http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/great_apes/gorillas/threats/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_gorilla
why do humans hunt the western gorillas