 Mountain Gorillas
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Sept. 30, 2003 — Ugandan wildlife authorities said Monday they have accustomed another family of rare mountain gorillas to human visits, making it possible for more tourists to track them in their habitats in the southwest of the country.
"The number of tourists able to track and see the gorillas has increased from 12 to 18 daily because a new family of gorillas that we have been following for two years and has now been officially habituated," Barbara Musoke, spokeswoman for the Uganda Wildlife Authority, told AFP.
Gorilla trekking is a popular form of tourism in Uganda. A trek costs about $275 per person.
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Currently, gorilla treks earn the country an estimated $1.2 million in foreign exchange annually, and that revenue is expected to rise to $1.8 million with the habituation of the new family, the third group of gorillas accustomed to human visits in Uganda.
Mountain gorillas live in groups of about 10. The habitats are situated in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and in the Mugahinga National Park near Uganda's border with the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Uganda has about half of the world's estimated 650 mountain gorillas. The others are found in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda.
The gorillas are threatened with extinction mainly by the presence of armed rebels engaged in the various conflicts plaguing the Great Lakes region of central Africa.
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Name: Mountain Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla beringei)
Primary Classification: Hominidae (Chimpanzees, Gorillas, Orangutans, and Humans) Location: The Virunga volcanoes, which separate Zaire from Uganda and Rwanda. Habitat: Montane tropical rainforest. Diet: Mostly roots, leaves, and stems. Also bark, wood, roots, flowers, fruit, fungi, and invertebrates. Size: Up to 6 ft in length and 450 lbs in weight. Description: Black, long, silky fur. Hairless face, ears, hands and feet. Broad head with short muzzle. Prominent brow rdige. Wide, lared nostrils. Large jaw muscles, broad teeth and long canines. Small eyes and ears. Robust build. Long, muscular arms. Short legs. No tail. Cool Facts: They are the world's largest primates. They are shy and retiring rather than aggressive, and will avoid conflict unless severely threatened. Dominant adult males develop a silver patch of hair on their backs; they are called silverbacks. Conservation Status: Endangered Major Threats: Deforestation, hunting and trophy poaching. What Can I Do?: Visit The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International, the Mountain Gorilla Conservation Fund and the Wildlife Conservation Society's Gorilla Conservation site for information on how you can help. |
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