Gorillas in the wild are known for their strength and capability, yet this female is saying otherwise. Her gaze, vulnerable and pleading, locks onto the viewer, silently asking for help. I focused on the emotion in her eyes, as the eyes tell an important story: they always tell the truth. Through her expression, her pain and vulnerability is laid bare, and all her strength now lies in her ability to invite the viewer to connect and empathize with her plight.

Exactly 1,063 mountain gorillas are known to remain in the wild today. These great apes - who we share 98% of our DNA with - were on the brink of extinction in the early 1970s, numbering barely 400.

In the 30 years since, WWF's partner organisation, the International Gorilla Conservation Programme (IGCP) has led efforts to protect and restore mountain gorillas and their one and only home in the mountainous forests of central east Africa. But major threats persist: habitat degradation and destruction, disease transmission, injury and death as non-target species of poaching, human-wildlife conflict and climate change induced alterations of habitat all pose a risk to the survival of the world's last remaining mountain gorillas.