The mighty eastern gorilla, which is the world's largest ape, is now listed as critically endangered, according to a new report revealed during the World Conservation Congress in Hawaii, making four species of the great apes vulnerable to extinction.

Experts from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) confirm that illegal hunting is the major cause for placing the eastern gorilla under the Red List of Endangered Species. This list now contains 82,954 species, where 23,928 are now on the brink of extinction.

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According to IUCN director general, Inger Andersen, it is truly distressing news to see that one of our closest relatives is threatened by extinction, adding that conservation efforts is our major responsibility to protect the future of the planet's species.

To date, some 5,000 eastern gorillas are still living in the wild as 70 percent of their population declined in the past two decades, according to the organization.

Most of the great apes such as gorillas and orangutans are listed already as critically endangered especially the eastern and western gorilla, the Bornean and the Sumatran orangutan, including chimpanzees and bonobos, which are listed as endangered.

According to International Union for Conservation of Nature's chairman for the primates specialist group, Russell Mittermeier, majority of these gorillas dwell in Congo, central Africa where political unrest reigns, making conservation efforts challenging to say the least.

Mittermeier stated to the Associated Press that there are no simple solutions to this, but greater investments on ground protection is required until the region gains stability. When ecotourism enters, this can start conservation efforts similar to Uganda and Rwanda.

Lead author of the study, Andrew Plumptre revealed that this critical endangered status of the gorilla subspecies will help bring more attention to its plight, since the African gorilla has been neglected even if it is considered as the world's largest ape.

This new research by scientists of the Wildlife Conservation Society also hosts the World Conservation Congress with more than 9,000 delegates from 180 nations during this week's conference in Honolulu.