The Uganda tourism industry last year, 2019, in October received a full gorilla family called Hirwa gorilla family that migrated from Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, in southwestern Uganda.
It is to be noted that both Volcanoes and Mgahinga National Parks together with DR Congo’s Virunga National Park all lie in the same conservation area – the legendary Virunga Massif which inhabits the largest population of endangered mountain gorillas.
There are no boundaries separating all the above three Parks and thus gorillas can easily wander throughout the all conservation area freely. Naturally mountain gorillas are nomads and move daily in groups and it’s quite possible to cross borders unknowingly; and so did Hirwa gorilla family do.
The family migrated together with all its 20 members thus increasing the number of mountain gorillas in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. This also meant that there are now two habituated gorilla families in this southwestern Park in Uganda; Nyakagezi gorilla family (already existing family) and now Hirwa gorilla family.
With these two habituated gorilla families now in Mgahinga, it means that Uganda currently comprises of 20 habituated gorilla families, including the 18 gorilla families in the four sectors of Uganda’s other gorilla Park – Bwindi Impenetrable.
Briefly, the other 18 habituated gorilla families in Uganda (Bwindi) are: Mubare (oldest), Rushegura, Habinyanja, Katwe, Busingye, Kahungye, Bweza, Mucunguzi, Mishaya, Nshongi, Bushaho, Bikyinji, Kyaguriro, Oruzogo, Mukiza, Bitukura, Nkuringo, and Christmas gorilla families.
Hirwa Gorilla Family Welcomes New Baby Gorilla:
On 19th January 2020, the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) announced the good news of Hirwa gorilla family getting the 21st member. The newly-born baby gorilla is estimated to have been produced on the 1st of January 2020, according to UWA.
It is on its official twitter and facebook page that UWA passed to announce the news of the newly-born gorilla in Hirwa gorilla family, in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. Hirwa gorilla family now got its other member in the family to make a total of 21 gorillas in the family.
All tour operators and gorilla enthusiasts all over the world have welcomed the news with great joy and celebration. The birth of a new baby has automatically increased on the number of mountain gorillas in Hirwa gorilla family and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park plus Uganda and Africa as a whole.
The joint effort by Uganda Wildlife Authority, Uganda Tourism Board, the government and Ugandans at large is a reason behind mountain gorilla increase in the Pearl of Africa – Uganda.
Because of the rapid increase of their numbers, the status of mountain gorillas changed from “critically endangered” to “Endangered’’ according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) list.
Mountain Gorilla Trekking:
Trekking the endangered mountain gorillas is a terrifically exceptional and memorable activity that you can’t compare to any other safari activity in Africa.
The activity offers a lot of fun and long lasting memories once you indulge in it and it annually attracts a mammoth number of tourists in Africa. Woefully, these creatures are listed as endangered and can only be spotted in three countries; Uganda, Rwanda and DR Congo.
Uganda has two mountain gorilla refuges (Bwindi and Mgahinga), Rwanda has one (Volcanoes National Park) well as DR Congo has Virunga National Park. It is only in those above areas that one can enjoy the mountain gorilla excursions.
Advance booking for the gorilla permits is always essential for easy planning of your trip and to make sure you don’t incur disappointments like missing out to get the gorilla permits, which are on a very high demand per year.
Gorilla permits however cost differently in each of the three countries as Rwanda’s gorilla permit costs US$ 1500, Uganda’s gorilla permit costs US$ 600, it will be raised to US$ 700 with effect from July 2020, and a DR Congo gorilla permit costs US$ 400, though the experience remains the same!!!