Mountain Gorillas in Bwindi
Mountain Gorillas in Bwindi: Bwindi is an impenetrable national park in southwest Uganda that lies adjacent to the Virunga national park at the edge of the Albertine Rift and borders the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The park occupies 331 square kilometers of land.
The park, which is only reachable on foot, is one of Uganda’s biggest national parks, encompassing both lowland and montane forests.
Because the park is home to half of the world’s population of endangered mountain gorillas, with 11 habituated families that have been acclimated to human presence, the primary tourist attraction and activity in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is gorilla trekking. To reduce the risk of disease transmission from visitors to the mountain gorillas, only eight people are permitted to trek each family.
The Uganda Wildlife Authority has exclusive control over these mountain gorillas, and those who want to go on a mountain gorilla hike must first get a gorilla permit. These mountain gorillas can be walked in the park’s forest sectors, which include Buhoma, Ruhija, Rushaga, and Nkuringo.
The park is home to roughly 340 mountain gorillas, which accounts for half of the world’s population. The remaining mountain gorillas are found in the Virunga highlands, which are shared by Rwanda and Congo.
The largest threat to these enormous wild apes is habitat degradation, yet according to the park’s 2006 census, the number of mountain gorillas has grown from 300. “Craig Stanford” conducted study on the mountain gorillas of Bwindi, and according to his findings, the mountain gorillas there eat a diet rich in fruits in contrast to the Virunga mountain gorillas.
Additionally, he began by stating that the Silverbacks, an older species of gorilla, are likely to climb trees and eat fruit that is perched on them, a behavior that is comparable to that of chimpanzees. According to research, Bwindi mountain gorillas travel farther each day than Virunga mountain gorillas, which leads one to believe that Bwindi gorillas will probably show off their tree nests.
Bwindi’s mountain gorillas
With a total population of 650, these wild apes are considered an endangered species, and as of the 1960s and 1970s, there are no mountain gorillas in captivity. Even though Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is home to mountain gorillas, there are other activities there as well, such as primate treks to see white colobus monkeys.
For those who enjoy bird watching One has the opportunity to hear a variety of birds singing over the trees when trekking with mountain gorillas. Village visits to see the Batwa people, who were the first to live in the forest and depended on it for honey, wild yam gathering, and fishing. This is the ideal chance to discover their past via poetry and storytelling.
Although the dry season is the most popular and the roads are easily accessible, people visit these endangered species all year round. Since only a small group of eight persons are permitted to see each gorilla family, it is recommended that one reserve their gorilla permits in advance.