Gorilla tracking in Uganda and Rwanda has become a popular tourist activity, especially as the population numbers of the Mountain Gorilla are so perilously low.
There is just something about gorillas that captures the imagination – that makes us smile. Maybe it’s the fact that they are so much like humans, well like good and kind humans; maybe it is because we know that wars and development are threatening their existence and extinction is looming on the horizon. Whatever the reasons, people fall in love with gorillas; especially the huge mountain gorilla and today gorilla tracking has become a popular eco -tourism activity.
Two Main Species of Gorilla
There are two main species of gorilla and several subspecies. The Western gorilla species includes two subspecies (Western lowland -- with about 35,000 gorillas and Cross River with about 200) located in West and Central Africa. The Western lowland gorilla is the species commonly found in zoos. The Eastern gorilla species includes the Mountain gorilla (Virungas and Bwindi populations), as well as the Grauer's gorilla (Eastern lowland) and is found in Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Mountain gorilla has the smallest population, with about 380 in the Virungas and 320 in the Bwindi area. Recent estimates show the Grauer's gorilla population at about 5,000.
The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International
The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International is a not-for-profit organization founded by Dr. Dian Fossey in 1978 to preserve and protect the world's last mountain gorillas. Gorillas in the Mist was the 1988 movie on the life of Dian Fossey, starring Sigourney Weaver. It was marketed with the tagline "At the far ends of the earth she found a reason to live, and a cause to fight for." It tells of her growing obsession with the Mountain Gorilla and her fight for their conservation. Fossey was mysteriously murdered on December 26, 1985, in the bedroom of her cabin.
Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International (DFGFI) monitors on a daily basis, the physical condition of each of the 105 mountain gorillas living in the three research groups in the Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda. This information is shared with the Rwandan Office of Tourism and National Parks (ORTPN) and the veterinarians of the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project (MGVP), who use it to make decisions about the need for health-related interventions. On the Fund’s Website one can get to know the three groups and keep track of their lives and their movements.
Daily Patrols to Protect the Gorilla Population
The Fund’s staff in both Rwanda and Congo, in conjunction with the national park authorities, do daily anti-poaching patrols to protect the gorilla population and while the situation is stable in Rwanda at present, the Congolese sector is dangerous. In the past 10 years, nearly 100 park rangers were killed while protecting the gorillas and other wildlife in the park.
Gorilla Tracking is a Life Changing Experience
Many tourists travel especially to Uganda and Rwanda to go on Gorilla Tours or Gorilla Safaris to experience these “gentle giants” from up close in their natural habitats. Gorilla tracking or Gorilla trekking has become a very popular tourism product.
Gorilla Tracking involves walking in the wilderness in search of the great apes. For many it is a life-changing expedition. Permits are issues to small groups and access to the gorilla areas are stringently controlled so for those who want to experience this adventure it is advised that they do their bookings through a reputable tour company.
One small matter that the brochures don’t usually mention is that people going on these gorilla tracking or gorilla trekking expeditions need to have a certain level of physical fitness. It is hot and humid much of the time and the terrain is often quite rugged.
But everyone who has been on one of these gorilla tracking expeditions reports back like they have been on a pilgrimage – and many would indeed agree that to experience a mountain gorilla up close is very near to a religious experience.
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