I-Search+by+Andres

//Warning! this is a work-in-progress. When I remove this warning and all the other text in red, you can assume my work is finished and ready for assessment. // by Andres From what I know a report on Wednesday said that it may be possible that by the mid-2020's Gorillas may become extinct in Central Africa. They may become the victims of the meat trade,the Ebola virus and logging and mining ( which causes the destruction of their habitats).A previous report made in 2002 said that by 2030 only 10 percent of the gorilla population will still be alive. Many now consider this previous prediction to be overly optimistic. To be specific Congo had been a safe rain forest for gorillas and apes.Now this report is not definite, this prediction was made to show what would happen if the gorillas are not protected from poachers and other possible threats including disease.
 * The Decreasing Gorilla Population **
 * Part I--What I already know about my topic **

What I would like to find out is it just Central Africa or is it most of the Gorilla population. I would also like to know what could be done to prevent the Gorilla species from obtaining the Ebola virus which similar to poaching is a major factor in the possible extinction in Gorillas. I also would like to know what is currently being done to stop people from poaching and has there been any progress in the last five years or so. I would also like to know what else is threatening the gorilla population because there might be something else to help the Gorilla population. Is there anything we could do now to help repopulate the Gorilla population.
 * Part II--What I Want to Find Out **

I have done some research regarding my topic and I think one of the most productive articles that I found was at the sea world website. There It specifically states the problems that humans cause. It also stated some diseases that are transmitted from humans to gorillas examples of these diseases are //hepatitis A, poliovirus, tapeworm, and tuberculosis bacillus. It also gave some reasons as to why humans poach which I found to be quite interesting these reasons include to be ,made trophies, to sell for bushmeat and capture for collection. It also states that another threat to gorillas is the loss of habitat due to mining in Africa for Coltan (a specific type of ore). The original press release where I got my topic from is also very interesting because it give a reason for the need of Bush meat. It states that bush meat is needed because logging and mining camps are paying poachers to supply the camps and markets across the region with it.//
 * Part III--The Search **

I started the search about a month ago. I first found a specific article about the chance of possible extinction of gorillas. Then I read the actual statement released by the UN which specifically sated why they might become extinct. The most interesting article that I found was one that was published on the sea world website. It specifically stated why they might become extinct and why they are poached and killed. I read The gorilla that talks about gorillas. The most interesting part was when it talked about why they are endangered. They are not only poached off but they are endangered because of the destruction of their habitats due to mining. It also states that gorillas are killed off by the disease, which confirmed the UN report that said that Ebola was a main benefactor of the destruction of gorillas. After reading about and looking up my topic I figured put that the most damage inflicted on gorillas was basically poaching,disease and the destruction of their habitats.The search was not that hard because Gorillas in recent years have become a hot topic. I picked this topic because I feel that the possible extinction of these animals is a very sad thing.

The first week I spent going over my internet sources and trying to select the most reliable ones. The second week I spent reading my book, Gorillas in danger by Helen Orne. The third week I spent comparing the two forms of research and figuring out which ideas go well together and which ideas contradict each other. The fourth and fifth week I spent working on this Isearch piece by piece and the sixth week I spent trying to figure out who to interview for this isearch.

My interview still needs to be done


 * Part IV--What I Learned

I learned that gorillas are a very endangered species. They are endangered because of many challenges such as poachers and disease. I also figured out that gorillas are poached not only for sport but for other thing such as meat for money. They are **** also endangered because of destruction of gorilla habit **ats for mining. Disease is silent killer that gorillas are prone to, one of these diseases is the Ebola virus. It is commonly spread among gorillas due to the lack of knowledge of the disease. These two obstacles make a gorilla's life one that almost seem unbearable. In order to p[revent the possible extinction of gorillas we have to raise awareness in order for people to actually care and help this species. They are also an important part of the jungle. I feel that the extinction of these animals is a very serious matter because one gorilla's life is worth just about as much as the life of a human. So because of the search I learned the importance of the preservation of gorillas.
 * **Bibliography**
 * Orme, Helen. //Gorillas in Danger//. Bearport Pub.Bearport Pub., 2007. Print.
 * NO NAME, . "Press Releases March 2010 - Future for Gorillas in Africa Getting Bleaker - United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)." //Unep.org//. United Nations Enviroment programme, n.d. Web. 26 May 2010. .
 * NO NAME, . "GORILLAS - Longevity & Causes of Death." //seaworld.org//. Sea world, n.d. Web. 26 May 2010. .