MORE LAND NEEDED FOR RWANDA MOUNTAIN GORILLAS

Mountain gorillas are among few primates whose population slowly keeps increasing in the wild. Rwanda’s gorillas have drastically increased and the option that the government is left with is to extend their natural habitat so as to accommodate all of them. Gorilla trekking safaris in Rwanda takes place in Volcanoes National Park, Northwestern side of the country where these impressive apes thrive. On 1^st September, a sum of 19 newborn baby gorillas will be given names at Kwita Izina ceremony which will add the number to about 400 unique primates that already live in the park. Several of these youngsters were born in the previous year, but some are already adults that joined the followed families during that time, arriving from families which have not been followed some times from over the border in Democratic Republic of Congo. 

GORILLA NAMING IN KWITA IZINA 

The following are some of the gorillas that Dian Fossey Fund International follows and officially are to be given names on 1^st September 2017.

Mitimbili’s infant; a male born on 24^th April 2017. This is Mitimbili’s 4^th infant and amazingly all are males and stay in the same big gorilla family.

Kurudi’s infant; a female born on 4^th August 2016. It is Kurudi’s 4^th offspring but she has stayed in most of gorilla families and her infants are scattered out. Her recent family consists of 2 silverbacks that offer protection.

Tamu’s infant; gender still not known but born on 8^th September 2016. Tamu and her offspring stay in a tiny family with only 3 females, 2 offspring and the dominant silverback gorilla-the youngest leader that is monitored.

Ukuri’s infant; gender also still not known born on 7^th August 2016. It is Ukuri’s 4^th offspring and enjoys playing with 3 other offspring in his increasing family, headed by magnificent dominant silverback Mafunzo.

Mahirwe’s infant; a female born gorilla of around 1^st April 2016. The date of birth isn’t known because the family was ranging in the Congo part of the mountains when she was born. The family doesn’t have any other offspring at a moment but the new offspring has a juvenile sister to play with.

Tegereza’s offspring; a male first sighted on 7^th March 2017. Tegereza’s offspring was born while the family was ranging in Congo and is her 2^nd offspring. He has a juvenile brother in the family.

Adult female gorilla in Ntambara’s family; this was first sighted on 8^th 2017. It was sighted in the family when they came back from ranging in Congo. Based on her size and appearance, she was estimated to be around 9 years.

The Rwanda Development Board tourism chamber said, since 2005, a sum of 280 mountain gorillas have been born and awarded names. Eugene Mutangana; the head of conservation at Rwanda Development Board (RDB) added that the increasing number of mountain gorillas is a step forward. The increase in gorilla number means gorilla trekking safaris in Volcanoes National Park will also be boosted. Mutangana said, “We are currently thinking of either buying or hiring land from residents to extend the gorilla habitat.” The process may take about 4 to 6 years!

It is anticipated that the number of these endangered species will come up to 540 by the next population census that is anticipated to end this year. Mountain gorilla safaris contribute about 90% of government revenues from national parks. Only in 2016, Rwanda generated $404 million from tourism. The target is to reach $444 million in 2017.

Ever since the end of the horrific genocide that took place in 1994 between the Tutsis and Hutus, mountain gorillas have got harmony in Rwanda and gorilla trekking safaris in Volcanoes National Park have also been boosted. Tourism specialists assert that for tourism to thrive, peace and stability should be in place which is the basic need for wildlife species like great apes in the wild as well as gorilla trekking trips.

At the opening of the 3^rd day 41^st Annual tourism conference in Kigali, Dr. Mukhisa Kituvi (secretary general of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) added that violence across the African continent has been the primary challenge to tourism development. But with Rwanda’s current peace and stability, mountain gorillas have found it simpler to survive in harmonious Rwanda than its neighbor Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Mountain gorillas are critically endangered apes which thrive in the Virunga Mountains and in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in the misty valleys of Southwestern Uganda. Virunga Volcanoes features a chain of volcanic mountains which extend from Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Southwestern Uganda, Volcanoes National Park in Northwestern Rwanda and the Virunga National Park in DRC. However, the management Gishwati Mukura landscape another addition to Rwanda’s national parks, has been placed under RDB rehabilitation of the natural habitat in and outside the park that began in 2016 at a cost of $9.5 million in 5 years.

Therefore, with the new expansion to the tourist destination, the rare mountain gorillas can find more protection and safety in Rwanda. This will support their general behavior including breeding and at the end, their population increases and thus gorilla trekking safaris in Rwanda will also increase.