The mountain gorillas story

It’s our planet too, swinging through trees is what we do…

Home is up high in the African parks, found in just two places, our numbers are sparse;
The areas seen its fair share of strife, for this, us Gorillas have paid a price. 

We live in the forests, way up in the trees, we graze on shoots, stems, fruit and leaves.
We swing through the branches and look like we fly, our thick black fur keeps us warm up high.

 Our family unit is called a troop, the Alpha male leads our group;
Whatever we do he keeps us in line, he does a great job so life’s pretty fine. 

Our sociable group has a life-long bond, of both young and old we are incredibly fond;
Our babies cling to the backs of their mum, whilst the little ones swing, play and have fun. 

Though shy and retiring, we’ll protect our own, when threatened or challenged we’ll make ourselves known;
The silverback stands so tall and proud, pounding his chest and being ever so loud.

 Our great big brain makes us really smart, we can sign, use tools and even do art.
Like people, we’re part of the order ‘primate’, but humans will also determine our fate.

 We fascinate man as we’re so much alike, but catching their colds, is a real fright.
Their need for fuel means our homes disappear, cutting down forests makes us shed a tear. 

The threat of snares is really quite bad, or being sold as pets makes us terribly sad;
With eight hundred left, our numbers are weak, the perils we face means the outlook is bleak. 

There’s only a few of us left on the planet, help save our home, so we don’t have to panic.
We deserve a home outside of the zoo, after all, it’s our planet too!