Seeing gorillas in their natural
environment or in the wild is known as “gorilla tourism.” In East,
Central, and West Africa, this kind of travel is highly well-liked. The top
gorilla tourism locations are the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and
Uganda.
How
did it all start?
When a German captain named Robert Von
Beringe found mountain gorillas in what is now Rwanda in 1902, interest in
gorilla tourism and conservation began. King Albert of Belgium was persuaded to
establish the Albert National Park (now known as Virunga National Park) later
in 1925 by American naturalist Carl Akeley. The first in Africa was Albert
National Park. In 1959, it was Following Belgian Congo’s independence in 1960,
Albert National Park was split into the Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda and
the Virunga National Park in Congo.
The year 1967 marked a significant turning
point in gorilla tourism, study, and conservation. An American naturalist named
Dian Fossey started a thorough investigation of mountain gorillas in the
Volcanoes National Park at Dr. Leakey’s request. Her research was quite
successful, and she made significant advances in gorilla habituation. The
technique of training wild gorillas to feel at ease around people is known as
“gorilla habituation.”
The Rwanda Office of Tourism and
National Parks was established in 1973 to draft new regulations pertaining to
national between 1970 and 1980, the poaching and pet trade of juvenile gorillas
persisted despite efforts to safeguard wildlife. Dian Fossey opposed gorilla tourism
and advocated for the gorillas’ protection. Fossey believed that humans needed
to let gorillas alone and unhindered. International concern and urgency to
protect and conserve wild gorillas were triggered by the pet trade and the
slaughter of entire gorilla families in order to catch their young. Dian
Fossey’s favorite gorilla, Digit, was also slain.
The Rwandan government and other
conservationists realized that gorilla tourism was a significant means of
supporting gorillas after slaughtering groups of animals that had been left in
the wild. Communities near the parks would be compelled by the advantages of
gorilla trekking to safeguard the animals and even report poachers. First
offered in 1973, gorilla trekking in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park was briefly
discontinued due to a lack of research and experience regarding the effects of
human-gorilla tourism in Uganda. Additionally, there were no established
guidelines for gorilla trekking at the time.
A significant mountain gorilla project
in 1979 marked a sea change in gorilla conservation. In order to promote
gorilla conservation, the Rwandan government and a coalition of wildlife
support groups decided to launch gorilla tourism, community education, and
anti-poaching initiatives. Originally known as the African Wildlife Leadership
Foundation (A. W. L. F.), these organizations are now known as the African
Wildlife Foundation (A. W. F.) and the Society for the Preservation of Flora
and Fauna (F. F. P. S). The convention’s ideas subsequently contributed to the
creation of tourism-related jobs and income, which inspired local officials and
citizens to work together for gorilla conservation.
The
Origins of Gorilla Tourism
Two gorilla groups were chosen for
habituation at the beginning of gorilla tourism. Before letting in tourists,
the goal was to acclimate them to human presence. Groups 11 and 13, which were
both close to the Karisoke center, were chosen. Stilgar, a very serene
silverback, was a member of Group 11. Rwandan Gorilla Tourism because they lived
so far from the beginning location, other gorilla families were not taken into
consideration for habituation at that time. Along with that hostile silverbacks
made certain gorilla groups inaccessible. Two groups of participants
participated in the first experimental trekking.
In October 1979, the first group consisted of
inhabitants of Rwanda, whereas the second group consisted of tourists who were
not locals. Only six individuals per family were allowed on the first trekking
expeditions, and they only got an hour to spend with the gorillas. This was
done to prevent extended human exposure from straining the gorillas. At the
time, the cost of the trek was $20 USD per person.
The guidelines for gorilla trekking
were developed and introduced as a result of this first trek. Many people were
observed going to the Volcanoes National Park for gorilla trekking in a short
amount of time. This resulted in changes to the caliber and there are several
lodging options near the park, and many jobs have been developed for the
people, including porters, trekking guides, and patrolling guides. Dian Fossey
was discovered dead in her cabin at the Karisoke Research Center on December
27, 1985.
In the cemetery she established for
the gorillas in Karisoke, she was buried beside Digit, her cherished
silverback. Her death has remained a mystery to this day. Following her
passing, a 1989 population census of mountain gorillas found that there were
roughly 324 gorillas in the Virunga conservation area and 320 gorillas in the
Bwindi impenetrable national park, for a total of 644 gorilla individuals.
A male silverback gorilla named
“Mrithi” from group 13—one of the first two habituated gorilla
families—was killed by poachers in 1992. As if his passing wasn’t enough,
between 18 and 22 other gorillas were slain during Rwanda’s civil conflict in
1994. Regretfully, gorilla tourism came to an end as a result of the 1994
genocide’s widespread gorilla slaughter. The Rwandan office of tourism and
national parks finally reopened the volcanoes national park for gorilla tourism
in 1999. Gorilla trekking licenses cost $250 USD. The cost of a gorilla permit
has gone up over time, and it is now $1500 USD per person.
Ugandan
Gorilla Tourism
Ugandan gorilla tourism started in
1991 when the government designated Bwindi as an impenetrable national park in
order to conserve mountain gorillas. Because Iddi Amin, the country’s president
at the time, banned tourism in the 1970s, Uganda’s tourism industry took a long
time to grow. Rather, Amin thought that the national parks were great places to
hunt wild animals. In the 1980s, the nation also had a civil war, which lasted
until 1986, when the National Resistance Army (NRA) triumphed and took control
of Kampala. Along with the creation of new laws, this regime shift resulted in
the country’s peace and order being restored and the establishment of new
governmental institutions. Uganda was now prepared to work with the other
nations that were conserving gorillas in the 1990s.
Gorilla
Tourism in Rwanda:
The first gorilla family to become
acclimated in Uganda was the Mubare family. Because the silverback
“Ruhondeza” turned out to be a wonderful person and quite receptive
to humans, this was done with ease. In 1993, the Mubare family was first made
accessible to the general public for gorilla tourism. There were four
habituated gorilla families in Uganda by the year 2004. Among them were the
families of Nkuringo, Habinanja, Rushegura, and Mubare.
At the time, the gorilla permits cost
$360 USD per person. By 2012, there were nine habituated in the impenetrable
national park of Bwindi, and two new trekking spots had opened at Ruhija, in
the center of the park as well as the Rushaga area in the park’s southeast.
At the moment, gorilla permits cost
$700 USD.
The
importance of Traveling with Gorillas
For the nations and local communities
where the primates are found, gorilla tourism has been and continues to be
extremely significant in a number of ways: The proceeds from gorilla trekking
permits have enabled the funding of conservation initiatives, such as national
park preservation. The salaries of park officials and the patrol team, who make
sure there are no poachers or intruders within the park, are partially funded
by the money collected from permits. Regular park visitation have assisted in
deterring poachers whose goal it is to is to destroy the wildlife rather than
to save it.
Additionally, the park officials have
been able to conduct appropriate surveillance to identify new births, new
deaths, and any potential health issues thanks to the funding produced by
gorilla tourism. The money made by gorilla tourism has been used to construct
and expand other government agencies, including those in the fields of
education and health. In Rwanda and Uganda, the local populations gain from
gorilla tourism when funds are used to construct improved schools, roads, and
medical facilities.
Governments have also been able to
hire researchers, veterinarians, and other scientists who periodically assess
the general health of the primates thanks to the money collected from gorilla
trekking licenses. Visitors that come to go gorilla trekking help the by
staying in private lodges, taking part in local events, dining at local
restaurants, and purchasing crafts and mementos, tourists who come to undertake
gorilla trekking help the local community. The people’s quality of life and
means of subsistence have significantly improved as a result.
There
are disadvantages to gorilla tourism.
Some gorilla groups have lost their
innate fear of humans due to excessive human interaction and camera flashes.
They have become as daring as to raid farms in the nearby communities as a
result of this. Because habituated gorillas no longer run away from people,
poachers can simply kill them. Gorillas are particularly vulnerable to human
illnesses like colds and coughs. Their possession of around 95% of the human
prone to human illnesses like as colds and coughs, among others. They have
almost 95% of the human DNA, which explains this. They are more likely to contract
human infections if they come into contact with people frequently.
Gorilla
tourism’s advantages
In the vicinity of the national parks,
gorilla tourism has also increased population pressure. In the expectation of
finding favorable tourism-related possibilities, more people move to locations
near gorilla parks. When they are unsuccessful, they become irate and start to
obstruct and compromise the gorilla conservation efforts. Forests, vegetation,
and communal land have been lost as a result of gorilla tourism. The reason for
this is that some individuals are erecting lodging facilities on protected
territory without permission. Some people have been displaced, such as the
Batwa Pygmies.
Gorilla
conservation measures
Forests, vegetation, and communal land have
been lost as a result of gorilla tourism. The reason for this is that some
individuals are erecting lodging facilities on protected territory without
permission. The government gazette all of the forests in Bwindi and Mgahinga,
which resulted in the displacement of some populations, such as the Batwa
pygmies.
For more than 5000 years, the Batwa
people had been hunting and gathering wild fruits in the forests without any
disturbance. Despite government efforts to rehabilitate them, they have found it
nearly impossible to adjust to life outside the forest. In conclusion, gorilla
tourism has advanced significantly in Africa since Dian Fossey’s time,
especially in Rwanda, Uganda, and Congo. It was discovered that the most
effective approach to raise In conclusion, gorilla tourism has advanced
significantly in Africa since Dian Fossey’s time, especially in Rwanda, Uganda,
and Congo. It was discovered that permitting this type of tourism was the most
effective method to generate funds for gorilla conservation in these
underdeveloped nations.
The proceeds from gorilla tourism have
gone into infrastructure development, conservation initiatives, and
opportunities for the local community that surround the gorillas. The gorillas
would be abandoned in the wild and vulnerable to poachers if there was no
tourism. Forests, vegetation, and communal land have been lost as a result of
gorilla tourism. The reason for this is that some people are erecting lodging
facilities on protected territory without permission.
The government gazetted all of the forests in
Bwindi and Mgahinga, which resulted in the displacement of some populations,
such as the Batwa pygmies. For more than 5,000 years, the Batwa people had been
hunting and gathering wild fruits in the forests without any disturbance.
Despite government efforts to rehabilitate them, they have found it nearly
impossible to adjust to life outside the forest.
In conclusion, African gorilla tourism
and especially in Rwanda, Uganda, and Congo, have advanced significantly since
Dian Fossey’s time. It was discovered that permitting this type of tourism was
the most effective method to generate funds for gorilla conservation in these
underdeveloped nations. The proceeds from gorilla tourism have gone into
infrastructure development, conservation initiatives, and opportunities for the
local community that surround the gorillas. The gorillas would be abandoned in
the wild and vulnerable to poachers if tourism did not exist.