Gorillas that migrated from Rwanda, a boost to Uganda’s tourism

A mountain gorilla and its family. Courtesy photo

BY FELIX BASIIME

& ROBERT MUHEREZA

OCTOBER 30, 2019

UGANDA: Last week about 20 gorillas from Hirwa family in Virunga Conservation area migrated from Rwanda side of the park to Mount Mgahinga Gorilla National park in south western Uganda.

This development will boost Uganda’s tourism according to business players in the sector.

Mr Pontius Izuma, the Manager Bwindi Mgahinga Conservation area in Kisoro district confirmed this development.

“Yes, the fact is that the Virunga area is the same ecosystem that covers parts of DR Congo, Rwanda and Uganda, and these wild animals find it easy to migrate within the same ecosystem, so there is always a movement” Izuma said.

An ecosystem is a community of living organisms in conjunction with the nonliving components of their environment, interacting as a system. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows.

Tourism is one of the top revenue contributors to Uganda’s economy, fetching the country $1.45b (about Shs5.3 trillion) last financial year.

Tour business

The executive director of Gatatu tours Safaris that takes tourists to Rwanda and Uganda, Mr Richard Tusasirwe expressed happiness that the migrated gorillas from Rwanda will boost his business.

He said that over 90 percent of tourists that come to Kigezi sub region come to see mountain gorillas in the Bwindi, Mgahinga national parks in Uganda and the volcanoes national park in Rwanda and the Virunga national park in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

“I recently heard that a group of mountain gorrilas crossed from Rwanda to Uganda and i feel that the recent gun shots by rangers pursuing poachers in Nyungwe national park could have scared them” Tusasirwe said, adding that no single tourist can come to Bwindi and Mghahinga parks in Uganda when the mountain gorillas are no longer in that area.

Nyungwe National Park lies in southwest Rwanda, partly abutting the Burundi border. It's a vast area of mountain rainforest, home to many species of chimpanzees, plus owl-faced and colobus monkeys. The Canopy Walkway, part of the Igishigishigi Trail, is a high suspension bridge with views over the valley and surrounding forests. A trail runs to the Kamiranzovu Marsh, with its birdlife, orchids and waterfall.

According to Mr Bashir Hangi, the Uganda Wildlife Authority spokesman, “Wild animals don’t know boundaries of countries; the ecosystem is their home that crosses borders, so they can cross to either side, they don’t understand things of the borders”

Why migrate

Despite wild animals sharing the same ecosystem across borders, they are like humans, they can shift from habitat to another and take refuge in a safer place according to the threat or challenge they face at the time.

The threats or challenges range from poaching as some animals are hunted for food or treasure, climate change, to insecurity in a particular country like wars among others. For example, during Idi Amin’s regime and during the ADF war in Western Uganda, the population of elephants in Queen Elizabeth National park is said to have reduced after hundreds of them migrated to DR Congo for safety.

Mr Nelson Guma, the Chief Warden of Kibale Conservation Area observed that “Elephants mainly in Ishasha side, part of Queen Elizabeth National park, usually cross to DR Congo and back, the same as Bongo, an antelope in Semuliki national park, usually crosses to Virunga national park and back because it is the same ecosystem”

He added, “these animals are like humans, they also seek refuge where they find contort and where conditions are very conducive for them, so transboundaries always happen”

About Virunga

According to African Wildlife Foundation, an online publication, Virunga ecosystem, the mountain gorilla sanctuary is under threat despite being a greater biodiversity in Africa’s Albertine Rift region than in any other ecosystem in Africa. This richly diverse array of habitats is home to critical populations of the world’s last remaining mountain gorillas.

Along with its abundance of wildlife, Virunga National Park has an exceptional diversity of landscapes ranging from the glaciers of the Rwenzori Mountains, at over 5,000 meters, to impenetrable forests, savannas, rivers, and lake ecosystems. Virunga National Park lies in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, but mountain gorilla habitat extends across country borders to southwestern Uganda and northeastern of Rwanda, covering over 790,000 hectares.

The park’s magnificent volcanic mountain ranges and endemic species placed it on the UNESCO World heritage list in 1979. Political insecurity, poaching, and resource extraction landed the park on the List of World Heritage in danger, where the park’s status has remained since 1994.

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