Quick answer
Yes. Mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei) are IUCN Endangered — not Critically Endangered, and not safe. They recovered from under 620 in the 1980s to more than 1,000 in Virunga and Bwindi, but IUCN Green Status still calls them conservation-dependent. Figures checked 13 August 2026.
Are they Endangered or Critically Endangered?
Endangered as a subspecies. Eastern gorillas as a species stay Critically Endangered because Grauer’s gorillas keep falling. Western gorillas are a different species, also CR. Mixing those labels produces the false all-clear that a Rwanda trek has already saved “the gorilla.”
What still threatens mountain gorillas?
Snares set for antelope, respiratory disease from visitors and neighbouring communities, and political instability around Virunga. Habitat is two small montane blocks at roughly 2,200–4,300 m — bamboo and cloud forest, not Congo Basin lowland. Climate shifts that push vegetation upslope shrink an already tiny map.
Is the rebound finished?
No. Passing 1,000 is a conservation-dependent pause, not a finished recovery. IUCN Green Status: Largely Depleted. Stop funding rangers and veterinary teams and the 1980s trajectory returns. Two forests with no corridor between them is still a genetic and political trap.
What actually helps?
Anti-snare patrols, dart-and-treat veterinary care, and tourism rules that keep people back. WARN’s country programmes fund partner veterinary and rescue work in East Africa. Do not send mountain-gorilla readers to an orangutan appeal. WARN does not run gorilla camps.
How did numbers pass 1,000?
Dian Fossey’s Karisoke work made the collapse visible. Virunga numbers fell to roughly 250 in the early 1980s; combined remaining forests were under 620. Patrols, veterinary intervention, and permit revenue that actually reaches rangers reversed that. It is one of conservation’s rare documented rebounds — and it is still a daily job.
Why are two forests still a trap?
The entire subspecies lives in Virunga and Bwindi, straddling Rwanda, Uganda and DRC. There is no third wild population to absorb a disease or a war. That is why Endangered is the honest word, and why “we saved them” is a sentence that has to be re-earned every year.
Sources
Mountain Gorilla FAQs
Are mountain gorillas endangered?
Yes. IUCN lists mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei) as Endangered — not Critically Endangered, and not Least Concern. They recovered from under 620 in the 1980s to more than 1,000 in Virunga and Bwindi. IUCN Green Status still calls them Largely Depleted and conservation-dependent: stop the patrols and the gain reverses.
How many mountain gorillas are left?
More than 1,000 across two highland blocks: the Virunga volcanoes (Rwanda, Uganda, DRC) and Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Uganda. Virunga numbers fell to roughly 250 in the early 1980s. That rebound is real and tiny. It does not lift eastern gorillas as a species off Critically Endangered, because Grauer’s gorillas are still collapsing.
Are mountain gorillas the same as western gorillas?
No. They are an eastern subspecies. Western gorillas live in Congo Basin lowland forest. A Volcanoes National Park permit does not protect Gabon. For the two-species listing, see the gorilla endangered guide. Do not map either to an orangutan appeal.
What actually helps mountain gorillas?
Anti-snare patrols, veterinary care, and tightly ruled tourism that funds rangers without packing viruses into the group. Hugging and flash photography do not. World Animal Rescue Network funds partner veterinary and rescue work via East Africa programmes. WARN does not run gorilla camps.
Who this page is for.This page explains IUCN-style status. Skip it if you need an emergency wildlife-rescue number.