GORILLA

Zoologists were introduced to the Mountain Gorilla in 1903 when Captain Friedrich Robert von Beringe shot two gorillas on the slopes of Mt. Sabinyo currently Rwanda. Presently, the gorilla population is split between Virunga mountain ranges covering the border region between Rwanda, Uganda, and Democratic Republic of Congo. Gorilla trekking is done in Volcanoes National Park located 116km/72miles and 2 hours drive away from the capital city Kigali in Musanze District north of Rwanda. A third of the world's gorilla population is found in Volcanoes National Park.

The mountain gorilla is a very large, barrel-chested ape, very black, densely-furred to protect against the cold with a broad face. Mountain gorillas are very sociable and exist in groups of between 5 to 50 individuals. The group will be led by one dominant 'silverback' (silver hairs start to grow in the saddle of the back). An adult male is usually 13 years old. In the gorilla community the silverback eats first, but is also accountable for the defense of the group, a feature that allows gorillas to spend more time on the ground than other great apes.

When the silverback dies, his group usually splits. When two groups move close to one another, they will avoid contact in order to minimize the risk of conflict. The mountain gorilla has a limited diet than lowland gorillas. They feed mostly on bamboo, leaves, shoots and stems of over 140 other species, wild celery and vines. Gorillas spend much of the day resting, which provides such a great opportunity for trekkers to join and observe the group.

Reproduction occurs progressively, with adult females over the age of eight giving birth on average one every four years and often not more than six in a lifetime. The young gorillas have a lengthy childhood where they are ferociously protected by both the females and the dominant silverback. The incoming dominant male will habitually kill the young gorillas in a case where the silverback dies or is pushed from the group. The females always protect a dominant silverback when it is threatened. The protection and slow population growth of the gorillas can be attributed to tourists who come to visit them. Without this critical finance, the incentives to protect the gorillas and their environment would be reduced, and we might not have gorillas left in their natural habitats today.

Gorilla trekking entails going on a guided hike through impenetrable rainforest to spend time with a specific habituated gorilla group in their innate environment. There are 12 habituated mountain gorilla families in the Volcanoes National Park ready for trekking. Habituation of gorillas is the process by which trained people like rangers make continuous visits to a group of wild gorillas in the jungle whose instinct is to flee or attack a human because they perceive him or her an intruder in their natural space and thus a threat, to a point the gorillas will believe that the humans are actually not a threat after realizing they are not being harmed by these persistent human visitors. At this point the gorillas can tolerate the humans in their vicinity but for a short while.

When American naturalist Dian Fossey moved to Rwanda half a century ago to study mountain gorillas, their numbers were dwindling, down to just 254 individuals, but today they're up to over 600, with another 400 in Uganda. Tourists play a vital role in the joint effort with scientists and governments to save the gorillas and communities around them. The Rwandan government regulates the visits to no more than eight people per group, for one hour with the gorillas, with precautions taken to protect them from human illness.

Rwanda Gorilla Conservation

Biological research on mountain gorillas by teams of researchers provides important information on trends to allow sound tourism management. The Karisoke Research Centre in Rwanda is the longest-running wildlife research project. The Virunga volcanoes range has an estimate of about 380 gorillas with 260 habituated and monitored in Rwanda. Rwanda is too much in to gorilla conservation and below is how they do it;

• The gorillas are checked on a daily basis. Health reports are shared and actions taken when necessary
• Though the use of Information Technology, mapping the habitat of the gorillas to show where the gorilla groups are moving, what illegal activities are found and plans to patrol are arranged.
• The habitat is patrolled daily to detect illegal activities and discourage any attempt to put snares in the park;
• The government is supportive of gorilla conservation through its programs like allocation of more land around the park for cultivation. Part of the revenues from the national parks is primarily used to fund the conservation of all three national parks. Salaries for all of the staff are paid out of national park fees.
• Volcanoes National Park management is co-funded through the research activities of the Karisoke Research Centre, which provides basic park management functions such as monitoring and anti-poaching patrols amongst the research groups for gorillas.
• An “Ex-poachers Association” consists of about 400 local community members, who have stopped poaching in the park. Some ex-poachers have begun to work on conservation efforts. They do patrols with ORTPN staff, and also help with local education, collecting information, and addressing human-wildlife conflict
• Further funds are invested from other NGOs including the International Gorilla Conservation Program and CARE for park management and also community conservation. These additional funds and support contribute enormously to the current success story of gorillas in Rwanda.