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Axios
09-05-2025
- General
- Axios
A Columbus Zoo gorilla expert's take on the "1 gorilla vs. 100 men" debate
The internet's latest obsession is a wild hypothetical: 100 unarmed men versus one gorilla, who wins? Why it matters: It probably doesn't, but nothing brings people together like a wacky online debate. So we asked the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium's expert to weigh in. The big picture: Gorillas live in African rainforests and are the largest primates on Earth. A silverback, a group's dominant male, tops out around 450 pounds. But they're "gentle giants," making the scenario of a fight even more unimaginable, zoo vice president of animal care and conservation Jan Ramer tells Axios. "They'll shove and punch or make a big display if their family is threatened, but we'd do the same," says Ramer, a gorilla keeper for many years who worked in Africa with the Gorilla Doctors conservation group. Case in point: There has never been a documented instance of a gorilla killing a human. Reality check: Gorillas don't fight people, they fight for their survival. All four gorilla species are endangered (three critically) due to habitat loss, disease and poaching. That means if you decided to challenge one, there would be serious consequences. Yes, but: The International Union for Conservation of Nature downlisted mountain gorillas from critically endangered to endangered in 2018 due to increasing numbers. "That's thanks to the great efforts of over 100 good humans," Ramer says, including the zoo's ongoing support of conservation efforts in Africa. So, back to the original question: Who would win? Well, it depends on the competition. What they're saying: "If it's a chess match, the human wins. If it's surviving alone in a forest for 10 years, the gorilla wins. If it's tug-of-war, I think the 100 men are probably going to win," Ramer says. "Pure strength? One-on-one, the gorilla is going to win, hands down." But a gorilla being so outnumbered makes the hypothetical a little more complicated. The bottom line: "Instead of 100 men versus a gorilla, let's talk about how much 100 men could do to help a gorilla continue to thrive in its natural habitat," Ramer suggests. Colo's legacy at the Columbus Zoo The Columbus Zoo has quite a reputation in the zoological world for its gorilla care. Flashback: The zoo was home to the first gorilla born in captivity, the world-famous Colo, in 1956. She was born prematurely at about 4 pounds and spent time in an incubator from a local hospital. Keepers hand-raised her "as we would a human baby," per news stories at the time, including dressing her in diapers and clothes and feeding her baby formula. (Today, they prioritize a more natural approach.) Colo died in 2017 at age 60, after making history again as the oldest gorilla in captivity at the time. The latest: Today, Colo has a long lineage living in Columbus and zoos across the country: three children, 14 grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren, per zoo records.
BBC News
03-03-2025
- General
- BBC News
World Wildlife Day 2025: Success stories from around the world
3 March is World Wildlife Day. This year's theme is 'Wildlife Conservation Finance: Investing in People and Planet'. The international event celebrates the importance of animals and plants and the benefits they bring to our world. It also aims to raise awareness about the importance of protecting wildlife which has seen a huge fall in numbers over the past 50 years, according to a recent report from the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF). Factors like climate change and human activities like deforestation, fishing and farming have all had an impact on nature's ability to thrive. Lots of work is being done to both raise awareness about the importance of looking after wildlife around the world and to protect plants and animals through global conservation efforts. This has led to some incredible success stories from around the world. Read on to find out more. Turtles in Fiji On the island of Dravuni in Fiji, there has been a long history of turtles and their eggs being hunted by poachers on the beaches. However, things have turned around for the animals. A group known as the 'Dau ni Vonu' (Guardians of Turtles), have been working alongside the WWF to count and protect the turtle nests. This group even includes former poachers!By the end of the survey season in 2024, a total of 63 turtle nests were recorded by the team. There were 18 green turtle nests and 45 hawksbill turtle nests. Gorillas in Rwanda Mountain gorillas in Rwanda were hunted during the 1970s, leading to a huge fall in their numbers and leaving many injured as a result of the traps use to capture them. However, lots of work has been done to help look after the animals. Today, there are more than a dozen vets and health experts working to help protect this endangered species. "I am living my dream. I am proud of my role here as a veterinarian who helps save a species once on the brink of extinction," says Dr Adrien Emile Ntwari who is a vet with an organisation called Gorilla Doctors. "It brings me joy to know that my work contributes to ensuring that my child and eventually my grandchildren will have the opportunity to see gorillas in their natural habitat."Last year, Gorilla Doctors provided 366 health checks, 41 medical procedures and rescued 13 gorillas from the illegal wildlife a result of conservation efforts and more care for the animals, the number of mountain gorillas has increased to just over 1,000. Rhinos in Kenya Threats from poaching, habitat loss and climate change led to black rhinos almost going extinct in Kenya in the 1980s, with fewer than 400 left. However, thanks to efforts led by the Kenya Wildlife Service, Kenya's black rhino numbers have now more than doubled. Last year Kenya's Loisaba Conservancy saw the biggest ever rhino relocation project which involved tracking, darting and moving 21 rhinos to an area that hasn't seen them in over 50 years. Kenya is now halfway to its goal of 2000 black rhinos by 2037. Oysters in the Firth of Forth Thousands of European flat oysters have been re-introduced into the Firth of Forth in Scotland after being absent from the waters for nearly 100 years. Over the past three years, a project called Restoration Forth has been working with local communities to restore seagrass and European flat oysters back to the waters. By restoring these species, the project aims to improve water quality, support biodiversity and provide a place for young fish to 400 volunteers have helped reintroduce the oysters, with 10,000 oysters introduced in the autumn, reaching their target of 30,000. Emperor penguin colonies in Antarctica In 2022, low levels of sea ice meant nearly a third of Antarctica's emperor penguin colonies failed to breed successfully. However, in January last year, the British Antarctic Survey used satellites to discover four previously unknown emperor penguin breeding sites, bringing the total known colonies to means researchers believe they now know where all the breeding pairs left in the world are.
