Mountain Gorillas of Bwindi Forest – Gorilla Trekking Bwindi
Most times, tourists ask themselves “why to pay a high price for mountain gorilla trekking?”While others ask themselves what is special about these primates? The cost is worth it and after the experience, you will love everything about these interesting primates because of their unique, charismatic and intelligent nature.
The mountain gorillas are the largest primates and in the whole world and are considered critically endangered species by IUCN. Unlike other primates (chimpanzees, low land gorillas, baboons, monkeys) which can be found in zoos. These primates can’t survive in captivity and only live in mountainous regions and are found in only three countries i.e. Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda. In the latter country, they are found in Mgahinga and Bwindi National Park.
The gorilla family comprises two (2) species that is, the Eastern gorillas subdivided into Eastern lowland gorillas and mountain gorillas, the western gorillas subdivided into the cross river gorillas, the western lowland gorillas in the lowland forest of Cameroon, Central African Republic, swamp forests, Equatorial guinea, etc.
The scientific name of the mountain gorillas is Gorilla beringei beringei. There are 880 individuals in the world with Bwindi national park having half of the population (over 400). These interesting creatures live in harmonious families/groups/troops of 5-30 individuals. It comprises one or two silverbacks (adult males by 15 years) with one being dominant/leader, blackbacks (young male between 8 and 12 years), three or more adult females, juvenile females, and other off springs.
With 12 habituated families in Bwindi, tourists can have an emotional interaction with the 11 families available for tourism. In a troop, the silverback gorilla is in charge of the decisions like where they feed, when they sleep, offering protection in case of conflicts and when attacked by predators, and their movement. It is referred to as a silverback because as it grows older, the hair on its back turns from black to silver grey.
They have a lifespan of 30-40 years. Much as the mountain gorillas are strong, they are also gentle and shy animals. These intelligent primates use sign language besides grunts, screams, and barks which are used to signal a warning to group members. When aggressive they beat their chests. It is the responsibility of the silverbacks to fight on behalf of the group when they meet with another family. The female mountain gorillas start giving birth by the age of 10 years and their gestation period is 8.5 months (251-295 days). Just like humans, the female mountain gorillas give birth and take care of their off springs until they are grown up before the next conception and have an interbirth interval of four years. A new born weighs about 1.8 kilograms, is breastfed and weaned by three and a half years
The mountain gorillas are differentiated from other gorillas by the darker fur, broad chest and shoulders. Their diet comprises leaves, roots, insects, worms, bamboo shoots, worms.
In conclusion, the mountain gorillas are special attractions because of their interesting facts which makes them exceptional. The fact that they are found in only three countries in the whole world makes them desirable for tourists to want to know more about them and which explains the reasons why their demand is higher than any other tourist attraction.