Baby boom among mountain gorillas in Uganda

In 2020, seven mountain gorilla babies were born in Bwindi National Park.

🇺🇬 Wonderful news from Uganda! 🇺🇬

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (UNESCO World Heritage Site) is a 320-square-kilometer dense rainforest in southwestern Uganda on the border with the Congo and Rwanda. Approximately 400 gorillas (= approx. 50% of the world population) live here in more than 20 families in their natural habitat. The increase in the birth rate is highly unusual, but very welcome.

All of the babies were born into one family—the Rushegura family—bringing the number of family members to 18.

The protection of gorillas is ensured by the UWA (Uganda Wildlife Authority). The measures are financed in part by the licensessold by the UWA to tourists who visit the gorillas as part of organized trekkingtours. In Uganda, these licenses cost USD 750 and are required to be paid for with the travel price upon booking. Female mountain gorillas give birth to one child every four years from the age of about 10. Twenty-six percent of baby mountain gorillas die within their first year of life.

Most gorilla mothers have only a few children that reach adulthood, which is why gorillas reproduce very slowly. Incidentally, the absence of tourists due to COVID-19 is unlikely to have been a decisive factor here. A gorilla mother carries her babies for 257 days.

The tranquility in the park certainly has a positive impact on nature and the environment, but tourists who visit the gorillas are very important for their protection. During the lockdown, there was an increase in poaching activity. One silverback fell victim to this, the first poaching victim in many years.

In addition to Uganda, gorilla trekking can also be booked in the Virunga Mountains of Rwanda. 

Uganda was our travel destination of the week in calendar week 41.

More about mountain gorilla trekking:

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