Bwindi impenetrable forest gorilla dies aged 28 years old

A photograph of Mishaya taken in June 2012. Mishaya was a leader of a commuinty of gorillas in Bwindi (UWA Photo)

At 28 years, Mishaya had lived only half his life in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in southwestern Uganda. On Monday, Mishaya died after a short illness, according to top wildlife officials.

 

The lifespan of mountain gorillas is estimated at 50 years, according to Dr. Gladys Kalema, the director of conservation through public health. She described Mishaya, who broke away from Nshongi about two years ago, as an active, friendly and assertive gorilla.

 

“Mishaya will be missed,” Kalema said. Others who eulogised Mishaya said he would amuse them, giving many tourists compelling opportunities for photographs.

 

Dr. Andrew Seguya, the executive director of Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) said: “We have lost a lovely mountain gorilla which was free with tourists.” He said he had sent a team of veterinary doctors to investigate further what caused Mishaya’s death.

 

Preliminary results indicate that he died after the coiling of the intestines. Mishaya was the only silverback (alpha male) after which a group of habituated gorillas in Bwindi was named. His group lives in Rushaga, in the southern region of Bwindi.

 

Apart from Mishaya, the southern sector of Bwindi is home to habituated gorillas, Nshongyi, Kahungye and Busingye groups.

Rwanda Gorilla Trekking a gear of conserving gorillas for Eco Tours Rwanda

When the name Rwanda comes up, at least in tourism circles, gorilla tracking comes to mind, first and foremost, as the Land of a Thousand Hills is indeed best known for offering well organized Eco tours Rwanda to see the prized animals in their natural habitat. The Rwanda Development Board’s Tourism and Conservation Department in fact acknowledges that in spite of concerted efforts over the past years to diversify the tourism products and introduce new attractions, inside and outside of the three national parks, gorilla tracking remains the highest profile activity for now, though birding and hiking, especially in Nyungwe Forest National Park, have started to make an impact in the statistics. Culture is also growing tourism product in Rwanda and the Rwanda tourism board has launched the Musanze cave for cultural tourism which you can visit on your Rwanda tour, Eco tours Rwanda.

The Virunga massif, a trans-boundary ecosystem located in Rwanda, Uganda and neighboring Congo DR, is home of – going by the latest figures available – some 400 mountain gorillas and has been described as the world’s only stable great apes population. It is here, that on the Rwandan side some 11 habituated gorilla groups are available for tourism purposes, the 11th only named 10 days ago during the annual Kwita Izina naming ceremony, when a “breakaway group” gained their own recognition, name and status. Additionally there are 10 other habituated groups which are strictly reserved for research and monitoring, outpacing the other two gorilla range countries. The gorilla groups in Rwanda include: Susa—the largest group with 41 gorillas. This family is the hardest to trek as it tends to range high into the mountains but RDB Tourism & Conservation trackers will know well in advance where the group is located. The group is also well known for having rare 5 year old twins named Byishimo and Impano. Sabyinyo—Sabyinyo is an easily accessible group led by the powerful silverback Guhonda. There are fewer members within this family than in the other groups however they are equally impressive as a family. Amahoro—led by the calm and easy going Ubumwe, Amahoro is made up of 17 members and means “peaceful”. To reach Amahoro one must endure a fairly steep climb however the climb is well worth it once in contact with this tranquil group. Group 13—when first habituated this group had only 13 members hence its name. Now the group has approximately 25 members, a very positive sign for conservation and the efforts put forward by RDB Tourism & Conservation to protect the gorillas’ habitat. Kwitonda—this 18-member group is led by Kwitonda which means “humble one” and has two silverbacks and one black back. Having migrated from DRC, this group tends to range far making it a moderately difficult trek. Umubano—a family of 11, Umubano were originally Amahoro members but broke off after the dominant silverback was challenged by Charles, now the leader of Umubano. When a young silverback challenges the dominant silverback he must steal some females from the existing group in order to form his own family; thus Umubano was formed. Hirwa—this group emerged recently and was formed from different existing families, namely from Group 13 and Sabyinyo. Eventually more gorillas joined. Come witness this family continue to grow and Karisimbi– a family of 15, a new group.

The Ruhengeri province in Rwanda is a city where all gorilla trekkers have their overnight before and after budget gorilla trekking. At this area you can stay at luxury, mid-range and budget lodges Sabyinyo silverback Lodge/Virunga safari lodge/ Mountain Gorilla View Lodge/ Mountain Gorilla Nest Camp/Lebombou Lodge/Laplame Hotel/Muhabura Guest House/Kinigi Guest House respectively. The Rwanda Development Board and conservation NGOs are working hand in hand towards a common goal, protecting the mountain gorillas while at the same time ensuring that tourism pays many of the bills this mammoth task incur month after month.

The Greater Virunga Trans-boundary Cooperation, in short GVTC, is a trilateral body, based in Kigali, comprising RDB, UWA and ICCN, which coordinates conservation and management matters, shares research results and coordinates security measures put into place along the national frontiers between Rwanda, Uganda and the Congo DR.

There is GRASP, the Great Apes Survival Partnership, which falls under the UNESCO/UNDP framework of conservation partnerships under which all institutional bodies come together to share information and rally to preserve the ever shrinking habitat of great apes around the globe.

Gorilla Doctors bring veterinary doctors together who volunteer their time to assist, largely free of cost for their professional services, to rush to the scene should the trackers, who spend much of the day with their charges up the volcanic mountains, call for medical support.

The International Gorilla Conservation Program, in short IGCP, is a partnership devoted to the conservation of the mountain gorillas by the African Wildlife Foundation, Flora and Fauna International and the World Wildlife Fund for Nature, best known as WWF.

And then there is the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International, the local headquarters based in Musanze, which is arguably the highest profile organization of them all, the offices in white and green highly visible for everyone who drives through what used to be Ruhengeri. The fund emerged from Dian Fossey’s DIGIT Fund, renamed in Dian’s honor in 1992 as the DFGFI.

Dian Fossey, immortalized through the film "Gorillas in the Mist," which portrayed her life’s work and dedication to the cause of protecting the mountain gorillas of Rwanda and Congo, back then still known as Zaire, was killed on the 27th December 1985, but left behind a legacy which lives on and has grown from strength to strength. Controversial as she may have been in life, she was an outspoken opponent of using habituated gorillas for tourism purposes and had reported run ins’ with fellow researchers, too, in death she became a uniting factor for gorilla conservation and her name, and that of the fund, continue to be magnets to raise money, material contributions and attention around the world. Today, the gorilla population, which was seriously endangered when Dian was still alive and working in the field, has significantly increased in size, to now around 480 overall, but with an estimated carrying capacity of around 800 gorillas, some in fact say up to 1,000 while others put the capacity of the Virunga massif to lesser numbers.

The fund operates the Karisoke Research Centre, headed by Felix Ndagijimana with over 150 staff in Rwanda and across the border in the Congo DR, plus a number of volunteers and collaborating scientists. The main thrust of activities is, as previously mentioned, research and monitoring of the gorillas, conservation education among school children but also the adult population living around the national parks and last but not least community outreach programs include health and education interventions.

Tour operators panic as UWA makes new policies

When elephants fight, the grass suffers, goes an old saying. This becomes more realistic when it is literary played out by the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) and the private sector engaged in tourism related business. The proverbial grass, the animals and related wildlife-based tourism, are suffering. Instead of working together as partners to promote tourism, the two parties are locked in endless conflicts.

As UWA rolls out innovations to improve services to clients, the private sector remains opposed, on grounds that they were not consulted and that what UWA is introducing will ruin their business. “We are going to strike because UWA has refused to listen to us,” Herbert Byaruhanga, the president of the Uganda Tourism Authority (UTA) told Saturday Vision in an interview.

When contacted, Jossy Muhangi, the UWA public relations manager, down-played the conflict, saying the cat-and-mouse game does not hold water. “I do not think it is a conflict, the terms are always clear,” Muhangi said, in reference to the recent development in which UWA will make gorilla permits accessible online, while booking will be done by registered Ugandan tour operators “We want them to take advantage of modern technology,” said Muhangi, adding that the different time zones mean that intending gorilla trackers would be able to know the number of available gorilla permits, even at night when tour operators are asleep.

Opposing online gorilla permits on grounds that it would lead to loss of employment, according to Muhangi, is counter-productive. He says more intending trackers would be able to see the gorilla permits online and then contact the Ugandan tour operators. “We know that tourism is private sector-led, that is why booking is going to be done through tour operators,” said Muhangi. “As the tour operators make more money from the increased gorilla trackers, UWA will also reduce on the losses incurred through unsold permits,” he said.

However, Byaruhanga cites the loss of business as the reason the tourism fraternity is opposed to online gorilla permit booking. He says when tourists physically contact tour operators to book gorilla permits, they can easily be convinced to visit our other parts of the country. “By taking gorilla permits online, tour operators lose their bargaining power,” Byaruhanga explained. In September, Maria Mutagamba, the tourism minister, set up a committee to resolve the matter.

Safari Gorillas at Bwindi national park

 

The committee chaired by a commissioner in the tourism ministry has representatives from UWA, the Association of Uganda Tourism Operators (AUTO) and the communities, and a representative from the International Gorilla Conservation Programme. The committee is chaired by a commissioner in the tourism ministry Mutagamba ordered the committee to find a solution in three months, which elapsed in December 2013.

However, the matter remains unresolved because tour operators did not provide a representative. Apart from the online gorilla permits, the tour operators say UWA is introducing vehicles in national parks, which private sector players say is going to create competition and take away business. They also say the World Bank funded initiative in which UWA is expected to get buses to ply between Kampala and the protected areas will undermine the earnings of tour operators. “Such services will compliment tour operators,” said Muhangi. “We are not competing with them. The tour operators target high end tourists, while our focus is on domestic and budget tourists.” Muhangi cited groups organized under churches, Rotarians and families as some of the intending tourists who would visit the protected areas.

For long, he said many people have kept away from the protected areas because tour operators charge exorbitant fees. The conflict, which is fueled by greed, ignorance and arrogance, has rolled the names of the top leadership at UWA in the mud. “I do not know what is driving this man (Andrew Seguya, the executive director of UWA) you agree on one thing and he does something else,” said Byaruhanga. When contacted for comment, Seguya said UWA had formed what he called ‘the coalition of the willing’, comprising institutions willing to break boundaries to expedite the fulfillment of Government plans to build infrastructure. He said the Civil Aviation Authority, which is part of the “coalition of the willing” had introduced scheduled flights to the largest protected areas of the country.

Others include construction of tourism roads which will link the protected areas, such as Murchison Falls National Park in northern Uganda and the southern parts of the country, where Kibale National Park and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park are Experts say Kaddu Sebunya, representative of the Africa Wildlife Foundation UWA and the private sector need each other. But the conflicts that have emerged are motivated by fear of the unknown. The conflict is unhealthy, especially for the tour operators because 80% of their business is in the protected areas.

The Government does not adequately fund the Uganda Tourist Board (UTB). Even UWA does not get enough money from the Government and it cannot donate the money it uses for marketing to UTB, unless the law is changed. The private sector should reorganize and engage UWA over strategic interests and reforms. UWA keeps interacting with tour operators and lodge owners in clientele relationship. This should evolve into a partnership relationship. At the moment, the conflict is unhealthy and it does not help conservation and Tourism Uganda

Why I want to see a gorilla on self drive safari in Uganda

I have read many stories about trips to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park for gorilla safari. I have heard how thrilling the experience of coming up close and personal with a gorilla is — how majestic the creatures appear.

I have always wondered how I would feel if I eventually met a gorilla. Would I be as excited as all those people I had read or heard about? I got a chance to find out this year when I went on a work-related trip to Bwindi.

MY JOURNEY

My journey began at 5:00am in Mbarara. The trip to Kabale was done in record time under the cover of darkness. We stopped for a quick leg stretch and confirmation about the route, then it was back into the car.

A couple of miles on the new Kabale-Kisoro road, we turned onto a dirt road. There was a signpost at the turn off indicating that Buhoma   was 76km away.

Ordinarily, that would have thrown me, but it was a beautiful, misty, cold morning. I was fully awake and excited about getting to Uganda Wildlife Authority’s (UWA) headquarters at the Buhoma gate. I refused  to allow the distance and the fact that we were on a bumpy road to sour my mood.

I was up for the challenge and eager to see what lay ahead. My positive attitude paid off. We came across the most beautiful sight ever! It was like the clouds had drifted down to earth.

The usually green undulating hills and the cavernous valleys had disappeared under a thick mass of white floating mist.

From where I stood, it looked like a solid mass. It looked so inviting that I wondered if, like in the movies, I would bounce off the whiteness into the sky if I jumped onto it. My colleagues and I scrambled out of the car and posed for pictures with the mist in the background.

As we giggled and pranced about, a little boy appeared as if out of nowhere. Seemingly unfazed about the mist, he watched us make a spectacle of ourselves.

After his initial bemusement at our antics, he appeared to wander off into a faraway land, judging by the expression on his face.

Eventually, the mist dissipated before our very eyes. As it evaporated, the hillsides became visible. Having had our fill of the scenery, we hopped back into our vehicle and proceeded to Buhoma.

After the novelty of the trip and the breathtaking view outside the  car had worn off, I noticed the state of the road, really noticed it for the first time. We were in a sound 4x4 vehicle, but it did not cushion us from the rough road. Worse still, it took us longer than it should have to get to the Buhoma gate — close to four hours.

By the time we got there, my body was bruised from bumping up and down, left and right in my seat. I could not imagine going back the same way.

I thought of all the tourists that have been down that road to see the gorillas. What a rude awakening! How horrifying for the UWA staff members and any other travelers for that matter, who have to travel back and forth regularly  from Buhoma via Kabale for whatever reason.

The road is enough to intimidate the average person from considering a  second or third trip. Tourists pay top dollar to see the gorillas. Would it be too much to ask that the journey there be a pleasurable one?

I never got to see the gorillas. That was not part of my mission that day. However, I heard a fantastic tale of how a silver back once visited the UWA headquarters. One of the buildings facing the car park has a huge lifelike painting of a silver back.

Apparently, a real silver back from one of the groups in Bwindi spotted the painting and charged at it thinking it was a rival that had come to overthrow him!

It took a whole week of camping around the UWA headquarters and charging repeatedly at the wall before the silver back realized there was no threat.

The story was told with such great passion that I could actually envisage the gorilla rushing back and forth between the surrounding dense forest and the buildings.

Even though I was assured that no such incident had recurred, I could not help looking around and hoping that a gorilla would wander into the compound while I was there. I am now considering a visit to gorilla land by 2020.

By then, at least, one of my sons will be old enough to trek. And hopefully by then, it will be a smooth ride all the way from Kampala to Bwindi!

Cheap Uganda Gorilla Trekking Safaris

Mountain gorilla trekking is one of the world’s headline wildlife activities, on par with whale watching, bear safaris, tiger tours or shark diving. A gorilla safari is a memorable experience, and one that a lucky few treasure for the rest of their lives. Despite the notoriety they have gained through popular culture, mountain gorillas are intelligent, shy and gentle creatures with complex family structures.

Gorilla tracking takes place in two forests in Uganda, and Rwanda. Gorilla trekking in Uganda is best experienced in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, which homes about half the total population.  About 11 families here are “habituated”. This means that they have very carefully, over a period of 5 or more years been made accustomed to the presence of humans. Gorilla trekking in Rwanda takes place in the Volcanoes National Park, where about 8 families are habituated.

Mountain Gorillas

A visit to the gorillas is not to be taken lightly, as it involves finding a reliable company to book your tracking permits up to two years in advance. It also involves planning the logistics to travel to remote locations, and preparing the equipment for the challenging conditions of the rain forest. If you make the effort to track gorillas in Uganda or Rwanda, though, it is well worth it. There are only 790 or so left – less than the number of children in a small school. All of these are found in the wild, as no mountain gorilla has ever been raised in captivity. The gorillas found in zoos are the western lowland variety.

On the day you track gorillas, you awake before dawn. After breakfast, a short walk or drive brings you to the park headquarters for your briefing. The track starts at about 9:00 am, led by rangers who keep a 24/7 watch on each family. A gorilla safari in Rwanda involves walking times of about 4 to 6 hours, at high altitude. A Uganda gorilla tracking safari involves lower altitude, but steeper slopes, with longer walking times, of 6 to 8 hours. Regardless of whether you track gorillas in Rwanda or Uganda, you will be allowed to spend a maximum of one hour with them, to reduce stress on the family.

This hour will give you a glimpse into the life of a gorilla family, and their interactions bring home the similarities and differences between us and them. If you are lucky enough to gaze into the eyes of a gorilla, you may sense a connection there.  Know, however, that your presence in their home has helped ensure their conservation and continued existence.