Gorilla Baby Boom in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.
For all those who support wildlife protection and primate lovers, the gorilla baby boom in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is a veritable feast. Since the lockdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic that has and continues to ravage the planet, the number of baby gorillas born has more than doubled, with new births occurring almost every other month.
In 2019, just three babies were born. The Uganda Wildlife Authority announced a gorilla baby boom in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park after seven baby gorillas were born in only six weeks.
A new gorilla was added to the Kutu gorilla family in the Rushaga gorilla sector on October 21, 2020, marking the most recent gorilla baby boom in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. According to reports, the newborn gorilla and its mother are both in excellent health.
Given how difficult it is to approach a newborn gorilla since the mother and silverback are so protective, the gender of the new infant in the Kutu family is still unknown. There are now eleven members of the Kutu gorilla family thanks to the recent accession in the Rushaga gorilla sector of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
A newborn gorilla was born to an adult female called Ndinkahe earlier in September to the Mucunguzi gorilla family in the Rushaga gorilla sector of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Ndinkahe, a 16-year-old female adult, joined the family from a wild gorilla family that was not used to living in the park. Ndinkahe, which means “Where am I?” was her given name. A new baby gorilla was born, bringing the family’s total number of gorillas to twelve.
Two other young gorillas were born earlier from the same Rushaga gorilla sector of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, confirming that Bwindi is experiencing a gorilla baby boom. On April 25th and May 1st, 2020, respectively, the two young gorillas were born to the Muyambi and Nshongi gorilla families. Currently accessible for gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, the Muyambi gorilla family is the newest habituated gorilla family in the Rushaga gorilla sector. There are just six gorillas in the Muyambi gorilla family.
In September, the renowned Nyakagezi gorilla family welcomed a newborn gorilla into their family from nearby Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. On September 2, 2020, Nshuti, which means “My Friend,” gave birth to the baby gorilla. With the birth of the most recent baby gorilla, the Nyakagezi gorilla family now has nine members.
As fate would have it, Ruterana, an adult female gorilla of the Rushegura gorilla family in the Buhoma gorilla sector of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, gave birth to another baby gorilla in the same month of September. Ruterana’s third kid is this newborn gorilla. On September 13, 2012, Ruterana, who was born in 2002, lost her first bay gorilla to illness.
On August 27, 2020, Kibande, another adult female, gave birth to her fifth child in the Rushegura gorilla family in the Buhoma gorilla sector of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Given that the majority of her children have grown up to be dominant silverbacks in various gorilla groups, Kibande is renowned for producing outstanding leaders.
Despite the COVID-19 outbreak, the number of gorilla babies in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park has been very high. It is true that the conservation efforts deserve recognition and gratitude for reaching this significant milestone, especially in only one year! Accordingly, the Executive Director of the Uganda Wildlife Authority said that “the birth of new mountain gorillas is testimony to Uganda’s successful conservation efforts.” Uganda’s animal populations have generally increased as a result of improved protected area integrity.
Together, the conservation efforts of many stakeholders—particularly the Gorilla Doctors, UWA rangers, and patrol teams—as well as the money received from visitors who reserve gorilla trekking have done a fantastic job of ensuring that the gorillas are properly cared for, protected, and monitored when they become ill.
The future of mountain gorillas is quite safe given the amount of work being done to save the already endangered species. The efficacy of collaborative conservation efforts is shown by the fact that the IUCN had to reclassify mountain gorillas from critically endangered to simply endangered species.
Only in the Virunga Conservation Area—which includes the oldest montane forests of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda, Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda, and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda—can mountain gorillas be discovered.
In the gorilla trekking trip, visitors may get up close and personal with mountain gorillas by venturing deep into the woods of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park to find the designated mountain gorillas. Many visitors on safaris in Africa are becoming more interested in gorilla trekking safaris.
Gorilla trekking is the highlight of most travelers’ Africa safaris, and most visitors who have seen gorillas during a gorilla trekking adventure describe it as the most amazing tourism experience they have ever had. For a very long time, seeing mountain gorillas up close is a memorable experience.
The finest location in Uganda to observe and interact with the endangered mountain gorillas is without a doubt Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Encountering these new additions in the various gorilla families they come from, along with their mothers, should be reason enough to take a Uganda safari and experience gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, where the gorilla baby boom is still going strong despite the coronavirus disease.
After almost seven months of shutdown due to COVID-19, gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, as well as tourism in general, has been resumed in Uganda.
With the reopening of the Entebbe International Airport to international travel on October 1, 2020, tourism has also resumed. In order to arrange one of the most unforgettable gorilla trekking safaris in Bwindi, travelers who want to see these newborn gorillas should get in touch with their preferred tour operator.
