The Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) has announced the birth of a baby mountain gorilla in Bwindi Forest in in South Western Uganda.
“It is with great joy that the Uganda Wildlife Authority announces the birth of a baby mountain gorilla in the Nkuringo family” reads the post on X.
The news was shared on the Uganda Wildlife Authority’s official social media handle on the 20th of April 2024. The baby’s mother has been established as Furaha, an adult female gorilla in the Nkuringo Sector.
The wildlife body also shared the first mobile photo of the baby that was captured by the rangers who found the baby gorilla, its mother and dad alive and kicking in perfect health.
The Nkuringo sector is one of the four sectors that comprise Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, situated in the southwestern part of the park. To the right of the Nkuringo sector lies the Rushaga sector, while to the left lies the popular Buhoma sector.
Gorilla Trekking in the Nkuringo sector was inaugurated in 2004, and 2024 marks its 20th-year anniversary. Furaha’s baby serves as a fitting celebration gift for this milestone.
It’s worth noting that the baby was born into the Nkuringo Gorilla family, which was formerly led by Rafiki, who tragically passed away in 2020 due to poaching. The family is now led by a silverback named Rwamutwe.
The new baby has increased the Nkuringo gorilla family from 14 members to 15 members. While the sex of the baby has not yet been determined, the current breakdown of the Nkuringo family distribution is as follows: two silverbacks, five babies, one sub-adult, and five adult females, totaling fifteen gorillas.
The news of the baby gorilla is noteworthy among tourists who wish to trek gorilla families with babies. It is important to note that the Nkuringo sector has a total of three habituated gorilla families: Christmas, Bushaho, and Nkuringo gorilla family. The sector offers 24 gorilla trekking permits every day.
Gorilla Tourism
Mountain gorillas are among the most endangered wildlife species, with fewer than 1060 gorillas now surviving in the Volcanoes National Park of Rwanda, the Virunga National Park of Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as Bwindi and Mgahinga National Park in Uganda.
Uganda earns considerable revenue from gorilla tourism that is conducted in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in south western Uganda. For over two decades, the country receives a considerable number of tourists interested in gorilla trekking, an ecotourism activity that was introduced in the early 1990s.
Recently, the Uganda Wildlife Authority increased the price of the gorilla trekking permits to US$800 for International travelers! The rates have also been revised as follows: US$800 for foreign non-residents, US$700 for foreign residents, US$500 for Africans, and UGX 300,000 for East Africans.
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