Facts About Mountain Gorillas /Gorilla Trekking Safaris-Uganda
Facts about mountain gorillas; These are the real facts that proves the genetic of mountain gorillas and how they do survive in their nature inhabitant. Mountain gorillas are land dwellers giant apes whom we share 98% DNA to human genes.
In Uganda, mountain gorillas dwell in tropical rainforest of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest national park and Mgahinga Gorilla national park both found in southwestern region of Uganda, approximately 9 to 10 hours’ drive from Entebbe or Kampala capital to access the park. Alternatively, you can fly from Entebbe International airport by Aero link airline a domestic flight to fly you to Kihihi airstrip or Kisoro.
Below are the highlight of facts about Mountain Gorillas.
In the wild there around 1064 individuals still existing. These are sub-species of the eastern gorillas.
They are endangered primate species.
Mountain gorillas live up 30 years but those in captives can’t.
They live in tropical rainforest and Virunga mountains.
Mountain gorillas are only found in three countries of Uganda, Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo.
In Uganda mountain gorillas can be found in two national parks –Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, Rwanda in Volcanoes National park and Democratic Republic of Congo in Virunga National Park.
Mountain gorillas live in two isolated groups east and central Africa, one in the Virunga Volcanoes but spans in three national parks –country that is Uganda, Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo.
They live in high altitude montane and bamboo forest surrounded by agriculture and settlements.
Mountain gorilla is one of most powerful living primates.
The average male mountain gorilla can weigh up to 180 kilograms and raises 170 centimeters tall.
They can spend half of their eating mainly on leaves and shoots but also eat snails, ants and bark.
Gorillas can cozy up at night and sleep together in nests on the ground even on trees. They make from foliage.
In fact, gorillas share a close relative DNA to humans ‘’98%’’. Meaning that can easily be exposed to human diseases.
Mountain gorillas lay their nests on the ground or in tree branches that make from foliage. The infants will share their mother’s nests to keep them safe and warm.
Gorillas do communicate and have 16 different types of call which are; They short barks when they’re mildly alarmed. The male gorillas tend to strut with stiff legs, beat their chests and also use vocalization like roars or hoots.
They live in a family of around 10 to 30 individuals with one dominant male and several females. Both males and females in the group provides care to their infants through hugging with them, carrying and playing with them.
When male and female gorillas get older they have to leave their birth group to join another troop. Thus helping them to prevent inbreeding.
Gorillas in the wild can live up to 40 years’ old
Gorillas are cared as infants till they are around three and half years old and adult from around 8 years.
Males between 8-12 years are called blackbacks. From 12 years old they start to develop a silver section of hair over their back and hips thus calling them the name silverback.
Mountain gorillas face threatening of poaching, local who enter the forest to collect firewood, water which put gorillas on risk and other intend for bush meat which injures the apes.
Gorillas some time move out and venture into farmlands to eat crops like maize and bananas which causes conflict with people who need to make a living.
Facts about fees; Each country has different updated fees and managed by government body like in Uganda Gorilla trekking experience costs USD700 per person per trek for foreign nonresident, foreign resident pay USD600 and East African Member pays UGX250,000 per person per day.
Rwanda Gorilla trekking goes at USD1,500 per person per day and USD400 in Congo. Gorilla trekking is an hour activity-half day.
There is also Gorilla habituation experience which can only be done in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park worldwide and it goes at USD1,500 per individual per trek. This is four hour done activity-full day.
