It’s proving to be a productive year for the mountain gorillas of Bwindi, an encouraging sign that conservation initiatives to ensure the survival of this endangered species are paying off.
Businza, an adult female from the Rushegura gorilla family, gave birth on 11 November, her second birth in five years.
The Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda, a World Heritage Site, provides a protected environment where gorillas are closely guarded and monitored on a daily basis to ensure their safety and well being.
Less than 900 mountain gorillas remain in the wild, on the borders of Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Here, conservation efforts that actually work are ensuring that the gorilla population is slowly growing, which is indeed a real cause for celebration.
Gorilla trekking permits do not come cheap, but I speak from personal experience when I say they are worth every single cent. Funds generated from the sale of your gorilla trekking permit are used to manage the national parks, and a percentage in both Rwanda and Uganda is ploughed back into the local community living adjacent to the parks. Contributing to these communities’ development gives the locals an understanding of the value and importance of conservation and tourism. This is a lifetime experience, and coming face to face with these gentle giants is a rare wildlife encounter that words and photographs can never truly capture.