Gorilla Conservation in Uganda Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo

Gorilla Conservation in Uganda Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, The last mountain gorillas live in the high jungles in the middle of Africa. There are now only a few thousand mountain gorillas left in the world, making them extremely endangered. The gorillas only live in one place, which is a network of parks in Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Gorillas in Africa are in good shape when it comes to protection, as more groups share resources and the number of primates rises. Africa is one of the most popular tourist spots in the world because it is home to many animal species that have helped people and the economy in big ways over the years.

The Mountain gorilla, the Ethiopian wolf, the Black Rhino, the Rothschild’s Giraffe, the Chimpanzee, the African Penguin, the Riverine Rabbit, the African Wild Dog, and the Pickergrill’s Reedfrog are just a few of the species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species that are very close to going extinct.

How to Protect Gorillas in Uganda Kenya and Rwanda.

The Virunga volcanic highlands are home to four different kinds of gorillas. They can be found in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in the northwestern part of Rwanda, and in the southwest of Uganda. There are two main types of gorillas: lowland and mountain. The two types of lowland gorillas are the Eastern and Western Lowland gorillas.

This species of mountain gorilla lives in four national parks: Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda, Virunga National Park in the Congo, and Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda. Mountain gorillas are mostly land-based and walk on all fours. Their fur is longer and thicker than that of lowland gorillas, which helps them survive in colder climates.

The name “silverback” comes from the fact that adult male gorillas have a crest made of bone that stands out more. They also have gray and silver hair that grows on their backs as they get older. Men mountain gorillas weigh about 195 kg to 200 kg, which is twice as much as women. They walk with their feet together and their weight on the backs of their curled fingers. Their arms are longer than their legs.

Things that are making it hard for gorilla groups to stay alive in Uganda, Rwanda, and the Congo.
Mountain gorilla numbers have been slowly growing over the past few years, which is good news. However, these big apes still face many threats from people, whose actions are thought to have almost wiped out the primates in the early 1970s. These risks can be summed up as social, economic, and political problems that are mostly caused by people.

Loss of habitat or encroachment on gorilla territory.

In places where people have moved close to mountain gorillas, they have cleared land for crops and animals. It is possible to clear land even in protected places. For example, in 2004, illegal squatters in Virunga National Park destroyed 3,700 acres of gorilla woodland.

More people coming into contact with mountain gorillas through towns and tourism activities like gorilla climbing makes it more likely for these gorillas to get human diseases like flu, pneumonia, and most recently, Ebola.

Uganda’s efforts to protect gorillas The Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda
Uganda’s efforts to protect gorillas At least 20% of the gorilla population has died because of disease in Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Traps and snares are being used more often to kill animals for their fur because people need more money.

Poaching
On the black market, mountain gorillas, especially babies, can fetch as much as $5,000, so poaching may be a good way to make money. People don’t usually go after mountain gorillas directly for bush meat or the pet trade, but they can get caught in and hurt by snares set for other animals.

Unrest or insecurity in politics
Another thing to think about is that the political unrest and civil fights that have happened in Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo over the past few decades have put mountain gorillas in great danger. Giant gorillas can get human diseases when they come into contact with people. These illnesses can be worse in gorillas. Mountain gorillas can get sick from being cold.

Families of mountain gorillas that are used to researchers and visitors have done better than gorilla families that are not used to tourists. This is because they are safer in those areas and are regularly watched. Better medical care for gorillas that are sick or hurt has also helped them live longer.

The rules and regulations for Rushaga Gorilla Trekking Sector 18 Going on a gorilla trek Making charcoal Find used charcoal in the gorilla area in Virunga National Park and use it as fuel for cooking and heating. This illegal charcoal-making business, which is worth millions of dollars, has destroyed gorilla habitat.

How has Gorilla Conservation helped the gorilla numbers in Uganda, Rwanda, and the Congo?
Between 1959 and 1960, the number of mountain gorillas changed. The first gorilla count, which was done by George Schaller, found 400 to 500 gorillas in the Virunga protected area.

After this, gorilla counts by Dian Fossey and her team at the Karisoke Research Center in 1971 and 1973 showed that the number of gorillas had dropped significantly, to just 250. Poaching was getting worse, and up to 40% of the National Park land was being turned into farms, which caused the population to drop. The Bwindi Impenetrable Forest Gorilla Census is being done in Uganda. In 1978, the Karisoke Research Center in Rwanda did a count and found about 260 gorillas, 42 of which were babies younger than three years old.

These numbers went up after Dian Fossey died in 1985. In Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, they reached about 320, and in the Virunga Conservation Area, they reached 324. In the Virunga protected area, the number slowly grew until it reached 380 in 2003 and 480 in 2010. This is a 26.3% increase in the number of gorillas living there over seven years.

In contrast to the Virunga volcanoes, the Bwindi impenetrable forest census was carried out in a different way. The 1997 gorilla census found a total of 300 people, which rose to 320 in 2002. The 2006 census showed that this number had dropped to 302. In the 2006 gorilla census, 682 mountain gorillas were found in the Virunga area and Bwindi inaccessible national parks. That number rose to over 1,000 in the 2018 gorilla census, which saw an increase of 138 more gorillas.

At the moment, there are 1,063 mountain gorillas in the world. About 459 of them live in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda and the nearby Sarambwe Nature Reserve in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Another 604 live in the Virunga Massif.

What Dian Fossey did to help protect gorillas in Uganda, Rwanda, and the Congo.

A lot of people think that Dian Fossey was one of the best primatologists ever. Following pictures of a friend’s trip to Africa, Dian Fossey became interested in going there herself. She went on a tour in Africa in 1963. Kenya, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo are on her list of places to visit. When she went to the Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania, she met the famous scientist Louis Leakey. They had a nice conservation, and one of the things they talked about was how great Jane Goodall’s work with chimps is.

She became interested in primates, especially the great apes. Dian Fossey loved mountain gorillas more than any other animal. Leakey pushed her to learn more about mountain gorillas and was excited to share what she learned. She moved her base between Mount Bisoke and Karisimbi when she got to the Virunga reserve area in 1967.

The Karisoke Research Center was her idea. The names of the two mountains were put together to make the name. The study center started out as a hut and has grown to include different buildings. Digit, a boy gorilla who is five years old, was the first gorilla she met. She really paid attention to it, and they became friendly right away.

Once she learned that gorillas were nice and warm, she started making friends with more of them. After that, she did the first count of gorillas in the Virunga protected area. The count showed that the number of mountain gorillas has dropped by a huge amount. If nothing is done to stop poaching and habitat loss, these animals may become extinct. The pain of mountain gorillas was brought to the world’s attention, and she asked animal rights groups to help.

Dian Fossey’s first goal was to study, but she later changed her focus and made her work bigger to include protecting gorillas. She came up with three ways to protect gorillas: being proactive, working together, and thinking about it. As part of her proactive plan, she fought hard against people who trade animals and poachers. She got her troops together to destroy the traps that poachers had set in gorilla areas. Dian Fossey also asked countries to pass strict laws against hunting.

She even took care of gorillas that were hurt or sick that she found in the woods. She used the theoretical way to write up the results of her study with gorillas and publish them in prestigious journals, which got the attention of people who wanted to fund her work. There was both financial help and volunteer help for her study center at Karisoke.

Dian Fossey also told people from all over the world to go see the gorillas where they lived naturally. Dian Fossey came up with the idea of gorilla climbing, even though she later spoke out against gorilla tourism and wanted gorillas to be left alone in the wild.

With the money from gorilla tourism, Fossey worked with the locals to build schools, clinics, and water sources as social services. They also worked for her study center, and she got their help in the fight against poaching in general. Dian Fossey was killed in her cabin in 1985 by people who are still unknown. Some people say that those who made money by poaching and selling animals killed her as a way to get back at her.

How does Gorilla Trekking help protect gorillas in Uganda, Rwanda, and the Congo?

In the 1990s, the governments of Uganda, Rwanda, and Congo got together with gorilla protection groups to come up with a plan for gorilla tourism, which would bring gorillas to people all over the world. letting people like you see the primates and great apes would not only raise money for protection, but it would also teach people who live near gorilla habitats why the primates need to be cared for. Going on a gorilla safari would help create jobs and provide important services to communities.

Going mountain gorilla trekking is now one of the most famous wildlife activities in the world. Travelers from all over the world loved the idea of gorilla trekking. Every year, thousands of people go to Africa to look for gorillas. A lot of people were heard saying it was the most amazing time they had ever had with animals.

Other projects, like getting groups involved in making decisions and spreading the word about how important it is to protect animals, have also grown. In addition to community-based activities like better housing and infrastructure, the park headquarters have been updated to bring in more tourists. There are also regular gorilla census counts in areas with a lot of mountain gorilla habitats, ranger patrols, trap disabling, on-the-ground law enforcement, and security for protected areas.

What does “gorilla trekking” really mean?

Going on a gorilla trip means going deep into the jungles of Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to find a family of mountain gorillas. Park Rangers lead the activity, which can last anywhere from two to six hours based on the gorilla troop. Once they find them, they only have an hour to watch the gorillas eat, groom, mate, play, and rest. Sign up for the monkey habituation experience for a more in-depth meeting. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is the only place where you can do this.

How much does it cost to go on a gorilla tour in Uganda, Rwanda, or the Congo?

The Rwanda Development Board, the Uganda Wildlife Authority, and the Virunga National Park in the Congo are in charge of protecting gorillas. Uganda costs $700 for a gorilla trekking permit, but Rwanda charges $1500. In Congo, it cost $450 to see gorillas.

In conclusion, mountain gorilla tourism is very important to the countries where they live because it gives them an economic edge over nearby countries. In order to get the most out of gorilla trekking, Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo need to work together on protection and tourism.