BTK (DENIS RADER) Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

BTK (DENIS RADER) - Research Paper Example Once he came back from the Air Force, he took up a job in the meat department of a grocery store. He lived separate from his parents. In 1973 he married Paula Dietz who was a secretary at the local hospital. They had 2 children together. According to Rader, he had a good marriage with his wife for the first 30 years. After 34 years of marriage, his wife filed for divorce on grounds of his mental health being unstable, after which Rader was arrested. People had mixed views of Denis Rader in their community. Some found him proud, rude and confrontational, while others found him to be to be a nice, friendly guy. As a child, Rader was very highly sexually active. Not in the sense that he performed sexual acts as a child (it is known that he graduated from high school as a virgin), but he would be easily provoked by spankings from his mother. He even had Sexual magazines and would sketch his sexual fantasies on paper. He would break into people’s homes when no one was there and wou ld steal ladies underwear. Peeping and breaking into homes had become more frequent during the age of 14 till 21. The first killings he ever made as a child was of dogs and cats, by strangling them to death. Throughout his childhood, Rader was known to be a poor student who preferred isolation. He enjoyed the torturing of animals and gathering of erotic pictures of women instead of making friends. He modified these pictured he collected adding gags, chains and ropes to the pictures to sexually please himself with the idea of torture. The only 2 social activities that Rader ever indulged in were either his duties in the church or during his training as a boy scout. While he was in the boy scouts, he quickly learnt the art of tying knots, which helped him later on when he bound his victims before killing them (McClellan, 2010). Once BTK’s violent streak grasped him, there was nothing that could stop him. From 1974 till 1991, BTK Dennis Rader was responsible for killing 10 women in Wichita, Kansas. He was known to tie up his victims, torture them and then kill them. Hence the name BTK, Bind, Torture and Kill Dennis would collect personal items from his victims as souvenirs, after killing them. He even sent letters to the police and newspapers after his killings. The first letter that the police received from BTK was in 1974 after his first killing of the Otero family, that very year. His second letter, sent in 1978, was clearly a stunt for attention from the media. His letter was addressed to a television station as BTK, after which the name became famous for the serial killer. Dennis was even a writer of poems. His poems often contained descriptions of how he imagined his victims’ killings and some poems were even written with intent to be sent to his own victims. Dennis last made contact with the media in 2005. Forensic software discovered that the Microsoft Word document which was deleted had metadata that contained the phrase ‘Christ Luthe ran Church’ and the name ‘Dennis’ for when it was last modified. The church website then showed Dennis Rader as the church president, after which the authorities started investigation on Dennis Rader. The police obtained a warrant for collecting DNA samples of Rader’s daughter. This DNA sample matched with the semen that authorities found in one of the earlier BKT killing victims. This gave the authorities a lead on the

Research paper about the effects of divorce on children Essay Example for Free

Research paper about the effects of divorce on children Essay Only acts of war and the events of natural disasters are more harmful to a childs psyche than the divorce process. The Newsletter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, 1997 Prior to 1985, divorce was hard to obtain in Canada. However, with the passage of the Divorce Act of 1985, which allowed divorce after one years separation, the divorce rate reached an all time high of 3.55 (per 1,000) in 1987 (Campbell, 2000). In 2000, Canadas population reached 30.7 million. 1.4 million people had divorced as opposed to 14. 6 million who remained married (Canadian Stats, 2001). The Canadian divorce rate is 2.46 (per 1000) with an average of 73,000 divorces per year (Campbell, 2000). Research indicates that divorce is a painful transition in the lives of all involved, especially children. Their wounds become more painful and troublesome over time. The impact of divorce steadily increases over the first three decades of childrens lives (Children Divorce, 2001). And, although the effects of divorce do not necessarily secure the failure of these children as adults, they do make the challenges of growing up even more difficult than they already are. Divorce affects boys and girls in different ways. Adolescent males often become more aggressive and destructive, while females initially cope well (Wendel, 1997) However, in young adulthood, they develop problems. This is known as the sleeper effect (Wendel, 1997). When children of divorce reach their twenties and begin to engage in relationships of their own, some become afraid that they will repeat the failure of their parents (Wendel, 1997). Others develop a distrust of relationships, fearing they will be the ones abandoned or betrayed by their spouse (Wendel, 1997). Moreover, these children tend to get more caught in the cycle of drug and alcohol abuse, become sexually active at a young age, lack academic competence, have difficulty forming romantic relationships later in life, and lastly, feel a deep sense of abandonment and loneliness (Children, 2001). In nearly all cases of divorce, one parent is forced to relocate. This can be a harmful experience for children as they leave behind friends and a  familiar environment. Relocating often leaves the youth lonely and isolated (Children, 2001). Making new friends and adjusting to a new environment is obviously a difficult task, especially when one must cope with a new domestic situation All in all, divorce may have a lasting impact on children as it can cause them several adjustment problems. Research seems to indicate that there is: a higher incidence of adjustment problems among children of divorce compared with those of intact families; a relationship between marital status, predivorce parenting practices, and childrens adjustment to divorce; and, lastly, a variety of different effects of divorce on the adjustment and interpersonal problems of children As children grow older, they will come to terms with the fact that divorce is an adult decision over which they have no control over. Their visions of the traditional nuclear family begin to slowly fade and disappear in early adulthood. In nearly all cases, acceptance is a slow and steady process which requires rational and caring communication between both parents (Wendel, 1997). There is a higher incidence of adjustment problems among children of divorce compared with children in two-parent families (Simons, Lin, Gordon, Conger, Lorenz, 1999). The differences can be explained by loss of family income, parental conflict, psychological adjustment and parenting practices of the custodial parent, and the level of involvement of the noncustodial parent (Simons et al., 1999). Parental divorce increases the chances that a child will have difficulty with school, engage in early sex, suffer depression, commit delinquent acts, and use illicit substances (Simons et al., 1999). Adults who experienced parental divorce as children have poor psychological adjustment, lower socioeconomic attainment, and greater marital instability than adults reared in a nuclear family (Simons et al., 1999). The impact of reduced family income on the adjustment of children of divorce  (COD) may be expressed indirectly through its negative effect on the emotional well-being and quality of parenting of the custodial parent (Simons et al., 1999). The quality of the mothers parenting mediates much of the association between divorce and child adjustment problems (Simons et al., 1999). This finding holds for both boys and girls. Parental depression and ineffective parenting explain a big portion of the correlation between divorce and internalizing (emotional stress) and externalizing problems (aggressive, delinquent behaviour) (Simons et al., 1999). Marital conflict operates to disrupt quality of parenting, which in turn increases the childs risk for internal and external problems (Simons et al., 1999). The association between divorce and boys externalizing problems can be explained by the quality of the mothers parenting and of the fathers involvement in parenting (Simons et al., 1999). On the other hand, there are three factors that serve to increase the probability that boys will experience internalizing problems: predivorce parental conflict, mothers depression, and low quality parenting (Simons et al., 1999). Boys with divorced parents tend to be more depressed than those from two-parent families regardless of the psychological adjustment, level of conflict, or quality of parenting manifested by their parents (Simons et al., 1999). Parental divorce has been shown to be more emotionally disturbing to boys than to girls. Boys continue to show higher rates of depression than boys in nuclear families even when their mothers show positive psychological adjustment and engage in competent parenting (Simons et al., 1999). Compared with fathers in nuclear families, nonresidential fathers are less likely to help their children solve problems, to discuss standards of conduct, or to enforce discipline (Simons et al., 1999). This finding suggests that a divorced father who remains actively involved as a parent may significantly reduce his sons chances of conduct problems. The quality of the fathers parenting does not mediate the association between parental divorce and girls antisocial behaviour (Simons et al.,  1999). Divorce elevates a girls risk for depression because it increases the chances that her mother will become depressed, which in turn reduces the quality of her parenting (Simons et al., 1999). Besides quality of mothers parenting, postdivorce parental conflict serves to mediate the association between divorce and delinquency by girls. Girls appear to respond with less distress than boys and are at no greater risk for depression than girls living in nuclear families if their mothers are able to avoid depression and engage in competent parenting after divorce (Simons et al., 1999). Even after controlling for quality of parenting, predivorce conflict increases the chances of depression in boys whereas postdivorce conflict elevates a girls risk for conduct problems. Research findings conclude that the threat of parental loss, rather than parental conflict, may be what is disturbing to a child (Simons et al., 1999). Also, COD are at risk for adjustment problems because their parents are less likely to engage in competent parenting and are more likely to engage in parental conflict than parents who are married to each other (Simons et al., 1999). There is a relationship between marital status, predivorce parenting practices, and childrens adjustment to divorce (Shaw, Emery, Tuer, 1993). Prospective relations of parenting practices indicate that parents of to-be-divorced families with sons show less concern, and higher levels of rejection, economic stress, and parental conflict prior to divorce in comparison to intact families (Shaw et al., 1993). There are no behavioural differences for boys and girls in to-be-divorced versus intact families, but boys tend to have more problems after divorce (Shaw et al., 1993). The difficulties found among boys after divorce may be linked with parenting problems that begin before divorce (Shaw et al., 1993). Both prior to and following divorce, girls from divorced families show fewer consistent differences in terms of psychological adjustment than girls from always-married families (Shaw et al., 1993). Conversely, boys show an increase in problems following the divorce. Their greater vulnerability following divorce is attributed to a host of parental factors following the  parental separation: greater and longer exposure to domestic quarrels; more inconsistency, use of negative sanctions, and opposition from parents; less attendance to sons needs and less positive parental support (Shaw et al., 1993). For boys, the proportion of variance in behaviour problems explained by divorce falls to a level where differences are no longer significant (Shaw et al., 1993). For girls, predivorce conditions account for variance in their adjustment following divorce (Shaw et al., 1993). Divorce is still significant for them once predivorce behavioural adjustment is taken into account (Shaw et al., 1993). Girls from divorced families may cope with later stressors more successfully, and thereby show a better adjustment in young adulthood, because their divorce experience is of a more controlled nature (Shaw et al., 1993). Boys may respond less favourably because of their increased vulnerability to stress in general, but also because the initial impact of divorce involves a less controlled exposure to stress (Shaw et al., 1993). For most boys, divorce is also associated with the loss of daily contact with the same-sex parent. Though the fathers departure may provide relief from witnessing parental disputes, it comes at the price of losing daily contact with the father (Shaw et al., 1993). Boys who live with mothers following the divorce are at an increased risk for later behaviour difficulties in comparison to boys in father-custody homes (Shaw et al., 1993). Parental conflict, rejection, and a lack of parental concern play a role in differentiating the home environments of boys from to-be-divorced and always-married families (Shaw et al., 1993). Parenting differences in the predivorce home are related to divorced boys subsequent greater level of adaption difficulty in young adulthood (Shaw et al., 1993). Lastly, boys from to-be-divorced families come from family environments characterized by greater rejection, economic stress, and less concern than boys from intact families, and, as a result, these same boys have more adjustment problems after the divorce (Shaw et al., 1993). To summarize, relations between predivorce parenting problems and difficulties in children adjustment are  stronger for boys than for girls. There are a variety of different effects of divorce on the adjustment and interpersonal problems of children (Pruett Pruett, 1999; Bolgar, Zweig, Paris, 1995; Radovanovic, 1993). One effect of divorce is caused by the fact that young children are egocentric. Therefore, they may attribute blame for parental conflict to themselves, resulting in feelings of guilt and low self-esteem (Pruett et al., 1999). For this reason, children from high-conflict families may not learn the social skills (such as negotiation and compromise) necessary to ensure rewarding relationships in childhood and adulthood (Pruett et al., 1999). Another effect of divorce is youth leaving home early to escape from an aversive home environment (Pruett et al., 1999). This pattern may involve curtailing educational plans; it may also involve marriage at an early age to an inappropriate partner, resulting in poor marital quality and an elevated risk of divorce (Pruett et al., 1999). COD suffer problems with control. Since COD have no power to stop their parents from divorcing, a need is created to control relationships which lasts into young adulthood (Bolgar et al., 1995). The need to control extends to non-intimate relationships, such as authority figures. Therefore, COD have difficulties getting along with authority (Bolgar et al., 1995). Adults who experience parental divorce as children, compared with adults raised in intact two-parent homes, have greater psychological problems, lower socio-economic attainment, poorer quality marital relationships, and an increased propensity to divorce (Pruett et al., 1999). High levels of interparental, verbal and physical aggression characterize exchanges between ex-spouses and exert a negative impact on childrens adjustment. Consequently, there is a negative impact of interparental conflict on childrens behaviour and emotional functioning (Radovanovic, 1993). High levels of parental discord are associated with interpersonal problems for young adults (Bolgar et al., 1995). Other antecedents  associated with interpersonal problems are: the mother never remarrying, the mother remarrying more than once, high preseparation parent hostility, and high levels of maternal interference in the relationship of the child with the other parent after the separation (Bolgar et al., 1995). High levels of preseparation parental hostility are associated with young adults greater sense of being too controlling in their interpersonal relationships (Bolgar et al., 1995). High or moderate levels of maternal interference in the childs relationship with the father after separation are associated with greater problems with intimacy (Bolgar et al., 1995). Research findings conclude that in high-conflict families, children have less adjustment problems if their parents divorce (Pruett et al., 1999). Conversely, in low-conflict families, children have less problems if their parents stay together (Pruett et al., 1999). Lastly, children who share a warm, supportive relationship with an emotionally well-adjusted custodial parent practicing fair and firm parenting are likely to do well, despite the presence of interparental conflict (Radovanovic, 1993). Parents need to work together. By doing so, they reduce the anxiety that children experience through their parents divorce. No matter how harsh the relationship between ex-spouses, if the two parties work together, the relationship with their child will be a successful one. In conclusion, I think this essay has proven that divorce has a lasting impact on children as it causes them several adjustment problems. Research indicates that there is: a higher incidence of adjustment problems among children of divorce compared with those of intact families; a relationship between marital status, predivorce parenting practices, and childrens adjustment to divorce; and, lastly, a variety of different effects of divorce on the adjustment and interpersonal problems of children. The adjustment problems that COD face compared to those in intact families shows that even after controlling for quality of parenting, predivorce  conflict increases the chances of depression in boys, whereas postdivorce conflict elevates a girls risk for conduct problems. Also, COD are at risk for adjustment problems because their parents are less likely to engage in competent parenting and are more likely to engage in parental conflict than parents who are married to each other (Simons et al., 1999). The relationship between marital status, predivorce parenting practices, and childrens adjustment to divorce shows that both prior to and following divorce, girls from divorced families show fewer consistent differences in terms of psychological adjustment than girls from intact families (Shaw et al., 1993). Conversely, boys show an increase in problems following divorce. Their greater vulnerability following divorce is credited to: greater exposure to domestic quarrels; less attendance to sons needs, and less positive parental support (Shaw et al., 1993). Lastly, a variety of different effects of divorce on the adjustment and interpersonal problems of children shows that high levels of interparental aggression characterize exchanges between ex-spouses and exert a negative impact on childrens adjustment. Consequently, there is a negative impact of interparental conflict on childrens behaviour and emotional functioning (Radovanovic, 1993). Areas of future research: the relationships between the childhood and divorce experiences; the functioning of children of divorce in later adult roles of spouse, parent, and worker; extension of prospective research on children from divorced families to include the investigation of family environment, as well as child adjustment; giving greater attention to what is happening in the family prior to divorce; clarifying the connections between interparental conflict, divorce, and parent-child relationships; defining the processes by which stress, social networks, and coping affect childrens adjustment after parental divorce. The many problems divorce causes children, such as increased adjustment and interpersonal problems, all can be prevented, or at least minimized. We need to find ways that lessen the impact of divorce for children and teach  parents how their divorce causes long-term harm to their children. Preventing destructive forms of parental conflict and promoting a healthy co-parenting relationship are potentially effective means of reducing childrens risk for many of the negative outcomes associated with parental divorce (Shifflett, Cummings, 1999). Things that parents can do to minimize the impact of divorce on children: build their childrens social skills; find a support network; stay, if possible, in the same community as the non-residential parent; disengage if conflict arises; stay optimistic; (Kalter, 1987). Things that children can do to minimize the impact of divorce: keep a resilient temperament; have good social skills empathy, sense of humour, interpersonal awareness; have a support network of friends and relatives; success at school helps; a supportive relationship with just one parent can minimize the impact of a difficult relationship with the other parent; economic stability is helpful (Kalter, 1987). Children of divorce need to understand that divorce is an issue between two adults, and although the divorce will affect the children, they must understand that they are not the cause of it. The negative impact of divorce is so strong that children of divorced parents struggle as adults to create a positive, healthy family environment for their own children. All too often, adults who experienced divorce as children prove less capable of breaking the cycle and instead pass on a legacy of tragedy to their children and their childrens children (Fagan, 2000).

Prosperos Complex Personality Exhibited in Shakespeares Play The Temp

The play entitled â€Å"The Tempest† written in 1610 and later published in 1623 is one of the great comedy plays by William Shakespeare. The themes illustrated in the play are freedom, friendship, repentance and forgiveness. Its protagonist is an enigmatic character named Prospero who wields the compelling power of the magic arts. Prospero, the former duke of Milan and his beloved daughter have been stranded on an island for twelve years. Disappointingly, his own brother Antonio exiled him and his daughter with the help of Alonso, the king of Naples then he unrightfully claimed his brother’s position as the Duke of Milan. The vessel that they travelled in was filled with: some food, some water, and also precious books belonging to Prospero-the supplies had been packed by the king’s counsellor Gonzalo who sympathized with Prospero’s situation. An elegant spirit named Ariel was enslaved and imprisoned by Sycorax an evil witch who previously inhabited the is land. Because Prospero studied magic from his books he managed to rescue the spirit who is now compelled to serve Prospero until he is released. Prospero also gains another companion, the son of Sycorax, Caliban. He cared for him and taught him language and religion in exchanged for learning how to survive on the island. However, Caliban tried to rape Miranda and the consequence for this was enslavement and now both father and daughter look down on Caliban with disgust. Astonishingly, a ship passes close to the island containing Alonso, his son Ferdinand, Sebastian, Antonio and Gonzalo. Prospero has his chance to avenge his enemies so he brews up a storm with the help of his spirit... One of the reasons why this drama is so popular is because of the type of language used by the prota... ... Prospero relies on Ariel to help him. Using all of the information that I gathered, it is now clear that Prospero is just and fair, in addition to intelligent. Prospero's magic is the white magic of nature, not the black magic of evil men. This former duke of Milan is a complex personality. Although he refuses to free Ariel and enslaves Caliban, Prospero is really a beneficent ruler, never intending to injure even his enemies. Early in the play, Prospero appears callous and cruel, especially in his treatment of Ariel and Caliban. Social and historical context in the play: In the 400 years since the play was written, attitudes to many different things have changed, including the idea of colonialism and slavery. Caliban, in a contemporary context, represents slavery and the exploitation of natives and their lands when the Western world takes over their continent.

Marketing and Powdered Energy Drinks Essay

I. Introduction Kings Food (Pvt. ) Ltd, the company behind LimoPani, saw the huge market of flavoured powdered energy drinks with only few major players like Tang and Energile. In order to come out with a unique product in this market, they conducted a market research. In Pakistan’s generally hot weather, lemon juice is traditionally consumed in water to provide refreshment from the sweltering heat of the sun. You will often find â€Å"thailay walas† near bus stops or populated places selling these drinks, locally termed as â€Å"sikanjbeen† or â€Å"nibopani†. Thus, King’s Food gave birth to LimoPani as a direct competitor of Tang and Energile in powdered energy drinks market. II. Competition & Market Structure The major competitors of LimoPani are Energile and Tang. The market structure of powdered energy drinks is as follows: III. Product Product Classification LimoPani is a shopping good which transitions into a convenience good. We have classified it thus, because: ? This good initially requires comparison with other like products in the market, e. g. Tang, Energile. ?It is not very low priced. Three Levels of Product. With LimoPani we are concerned with the core benefit offered and the actual product attributes. Core Benefit LimoPani’s core benefit can be phrased as: â€Å"LimoPani is an easy-to-make instant drink which will refresh you in the Pakistani weather be it hot or cold† Actual Product ?Quality Quality has a direct impact on the product’s performance. LimoPani has been surveyed and claimed to be â€Å"great tasting† and â€Å"very refreshing†. LimoPani is considered to be a product of very high quality. ?Features LimoPani does not have any extraordinary features since it is just a beverage and an edible item which is consumed over and over again.? Branding LimoPani as a brand name has been highly successful. This is because the target market responded well to the word â€Å"LimoPani† which is lemonade in Urdu. By using a brand name which is understood all over Pakistan, the marketer brilliantly enlarged the target market, since the description of the product is in the product name itself. ?Packaging Product packaging is nicely done. It is distributed displayed well with sachets, leading to â€Å"impulse buying†. LimoPani’s packaging contains sachets of 25g, the glass jars of 250g and 500g and tin cans of 1000g and 2500g. LimoPani’s packaging can be rated higher than its competitors, on a scale of attractiveness since the colours used (lime green and yellow) are attention grabbing. IV. Price The pricing strategy followed by SunSip is â€Å"competition-based†. LimoPani’s marketers are pricing their product on the basis of similar products’ prices, especially those of Tang. The pricing comparison is shown below: LimoPaniTangEnergile SizePriceSizePriceSizePrice 250 gRs. 55250 gRs. 50100 gRs. 15 500 gRs. 105500 gRs. 110350 gRs. 70 1000 gRs. 1901000 gRs. 190 2500 gRs. 4851500 gRs. 245 V. Place The sales distribution of LimoPani is great. No matter which place you go throughout Pakistan – any neighborhood or locality of whatever class, you will find LimoPani at the shops. In Karachi, for example, you can get LimoPani from elite supermarkets markets like Ebco at the Forum, Agha’s and Naheed to small shops and convenience stores located on the roadside and near residential localities. VI. Promotion LimoPani is being mass advertised, especially in prime time at the most watched channels of Pakistan in the first 2 years of its launch. Now, as it has become a well established brand in Pakistan, it is being moderately advertised. At the time of its huge campaign launch, it heavily targeted both electronic (TV and radio) and outdoor media. The launch TVC â€Å"Caveman† was implying on the old trusted form of lemon mixed with water, establishing LimoPani as a brand composed of natural ingredients. The follow-up TVC based on the â€Å"Family† was an effort to establish that LimoPani is meant for all age groups. Currently LimoPani’s advertising pattern can be classified as a â€Å"Flighting Pattern† VI. Positioning LimoPani has positioned itself remarkably well in the minds of the massive consumer base by created an image of a very high quality Pakistani product. LimoPani is the modern style of drinking the same traditional lemon juice during hot times, yet, its advertisements show that it is a product used by the entire family, young and old. It is not surprising then that, according to a research, many old housewives and women have actually shifted from making home made lemon juice and water to using LimoPani!! In innumerable retail stores, you will find LimoPani side by side with Tang and Energile, indicating that it is now considered a premium brand in the powdered energy drink market. It is being positioned as not just an individual consumption drink but also one that can be presented to guests. Mothers give LimoPani to their kids as an energy drink; housewives present it as a drink to guests; young teenagers drink it like Coca-cola. LimoPani has successfully been recognized as a drink for all times.

Western Lowland Gorillas

Western Lowland Gorillas October 23, 2009 Introduction: When I was around 14, I saw one of the best movies. The movie was Gorillas in The Mist, starting Sigourney Weaver as Dian Fossey. It was one of the most impressive movies of my life. My step-mother at the time notice how must I liked the movie and game me her very well torn copy of Gorillas in the Mist to read. I still have that book and since the first time I read it, I have been fascinated with these great apes. This is way I believe they deserve funding to help them off of the endangered species list. Western Lowland Gorillas: Biological Needs: However, in west Africa, where fruits tend to makes up the majority of the gorilla's diet compared to those that live in east Africa. Groups of gorillas living in west Africa normally split into temporary feeding subgroups but are less common in east Africa, as animals range far apart searching for the relatively scarce ripe fruit. There are some reports of sleeping subgroups however, they are rare. This may occur in the process of permanent splitting of a multi-male groups into two single male groups. Groups usually can range from 5 to 10 individuals, but some groups can accumulate as many as 20 to 32 animals. Csomos, 2008) Habitat: The habitat of the Western Lowland Gorilla is made up of primarily rainforests, swamp forest, thickets, forest edges, and clearings. Western Gorillas have been seen nesting in along the Savannah forest edge or in the Savannah itself. Although they visit the Savannah, it is not a permanent habitat for them. Western Gorillas inhabit areas that are typicall y lowland tropical forest at sea-level and up to 1,300 mm. (Beudels-Jamer, 2008) Food: Other Life Forms and Interrelations: Human Intrusions: Humans are the gorilla’s greatest threat. Human intrusions of the gorilla’s habitats have caused a decline of the species. The three main threats that humans pose, commercial hunting, logging of the forest (which has increased poaching) and Human illnesses like the Ebola virus. According to studies recent annual rate of decline in the gorillas was 4. 7 percent and mortality rates caused by the Ebola virus were as high as 80 percent. The gorillas DNA is 98 percent the same has humans. Any flu or virus a human can carry or transmit the gorillas can catch. Since they live away from humans, any virus or flu can be deadly to them. The gorilla’s immune system does not have the ability to defend against any virus or flu that has been transmitted from humans. (Cosmos, 2008) Current Safeguards and Protections: Additional Measures: Going Unchecked: The Congo basin has been recognized as a globally important factor in inter-continental weather patterns and for maintaining climate stability. The COMIFAC Convergence and the Congo Basin Forest Partnership have joined forces to protect the whole Congo Basin ecosystem. They will tack the carbon sequestration and storage, rainfall generation and the areas bio-diversity. The Western Lowland Gorillas ecological role must be taken into account. The Western Lowland Gorillas are keystone species in their forest habitats, so their protection is essential to long-term management of the Congo basin. (Cosmos, 2008) Conclusion: Reference Page: Beudels-Jamer, R. (2008) Western Lowland Gorilla. Retriever on September 25, 2009 from www. yog2009. org September 25, 2009 from www. animaldiversity. unnz. unnz. edu Western Lowland Gorilla Profile, (na) (nd) Retrieved on September 25, 2009 from www. animal. nationalgeographic. com