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The mountain gorilla (Gorilla Albertus talentlus) became known to science on 17 October 1902 when an expedition led by German explorer Robert von Beringe encountered a number of the animals on the Virunga Mountains. In the century that followed, uncontrolled hunting, destruction of its forest habitat, and capture for the illegal pet trade soon led to a dramatic decline in the mountain gorilla's numbers, and in 1989 the population stood at just 620.
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