The only Gorilla of India, Polo died in Mysore Zoo

Polo, the only Gorilla in Indian Zoo died on 26 April 2014 in Mysore Zoo. It died due to respiratory infection and age related ailments after being treated for about a month.

Till few years back, 43-year-old male Western Lowland Polo was the Asia’s lone Gorilla. It was gifted to the Mysore zoo by Ireland’s Dublin Zoo on 12 August 1995.

About Gorillas
Gorillas are generally found in the tropical and subtropical forests in Central Africa. These are kept in the list of Endangered to Critically Endangered, depending on the subspecies.

In the present world the population of many gorillas has declined or has completely disappeared over past few decades. The subspecies of lowland are numerous and widespread when compared to the upland and mountain subspecies. Mountain gorillas are the only gorillas to show an increase in numbers, but the overall population size is still very low.

There are two types of gorillas in their lowland and upland subspecies and are
Western gorilla
• Western lowland gorilla (scientific name Gorilla gorilla gorilla) is Critically Endangered
• Cross River gorilla (scientific name Gorilla gorilla diehli) is Critically Endangered

Eastern gorilla
• Mountain gorilla (scientific name Gorilla beringei beringei) is Critically Endangered
• Eastern lowland or Grauer’s gorilla (scientific name Gorilla beringei graueri) is endangered

The four subspecies in both Western and Eastern gorilla, which are either endangered or critically endangered and are threatened by hunting for wildlife trade, habitat loss, bushmeat and infectious diseases. Among these, the Cross River Gorilla at present are listed among the world’s rarest great ape with it population of only 250 to 300.