Gorillas – The gentle giants
By Martin Harvey & Letitia Farris-Toussaint 120 odd pages all about gorillas, and nothing else, and contains plenty of photos of all four subspecies of gorilla - Western Lowland, Eastern Lowland, Mountain & Cross River.
The book starts with a little history about the discovery of the gorilla; probably by a Carthaginian called Hanno the Navigator in the 5th Century BC. No further news came out of Africa for 2000 years until the 16th century, but by the early 20th century some 8-9 species were recognised. Gorillas nowawdays are split into 2 species, Eastern and Western, each with 2 subspecies Lowland & Cross River, Lowland & Mountain.
The Cross River gorilla numbers just 250-300 individuals and the Mountain gorilla is now thought to number 7-800. The two lowland species are much more numerous, and thanks to a recent discovery, the Western Lowland gorilla is now thought to number some 200,000.
All gorillas are generally threatened by a dire and worsening combination of habitat destruction, ears, disease, poaching and logging.
The publishing house will donate money from the sale of each copy to the UN campaign. The funds raised from their worldwide sales will be used to help fund expert-selected, high-priority projects to protect gorillas and their habitats.
Published by Evans Mitchell Books
RRP £14.99
ISBN 978-1-901268-35-5
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