20 Apr 2007 - Nairobi,
Kenya/Gland, Switzerland – After a decade
of conservation efforts, the mountain gorillas
in Eastern Africa are showing a slow but
steady comeback, says WWF, the global conservation
organization.
Results of a survey released today indicate
that there are now 340 gorillas within the
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in south-western
Uganda, a 12 per cent growth over the past
decade. Although this translates to an annual
growth rate of about 1 per cent, it is indicative
of a healthy and well protected population.
The park is home to almost half of the world’s
remaining mountain gorillas.
“This is indeed great news for the survival
of the mountain gorilla,” said Marc Languy
of WWF’s Eastern Africa Regional Programme.
“However, with only about 720 individual
mountain gorillas surviving in the wild,
more efforts are still needed to ensure
these beautiful animals do not become extinct.”
WWF notes that both the eastern and northern
sections of Bwindi Impenetrable National
Park have had high levels of human disturbance
in the past, such as hunting, habitat encroachment
and civil unrest in the region.
The killing of two solitary silverback
gorillas in the Democratic Republic of Congo
(DRC) earlier this year — with clear evidence
that one was killed for meat — has raised
fears for the survival of this small mountain
gorilla population in Virunga National Park.
The animals belonged to groups habituated
for tourism. According to WWF, habituated
gorillas are easy targets because they don’t
fear the presence of humans. As a result,
additional gorillas may be in danger.
The survey in Bwindi was conducted by several
conservation organizations, including WWF.
To avoid double-counting, genetic analysis
of faecal samples of the gorillas in each
group was used.
“The Bwindi census, which shows a continuing
growth in the mountain gorilla population,
comes after a similar trend was found in
2003 in the Virunga Massif,” said Eugene
Rutagarama, of International Gorilla Conservation
Programme.
“This shows how joint conservation efforts
between Uganda Wildlife Authority, park
authorities in Rwanda and the DRC, and conservation
organizations can pay off, despite recurrent
security threats in the region.”
Mountain gorillas are the main tourist
attraction in the DRC, Rwanda and Uganda,
earning these countries about US$5 million
every year. Of the 30 gorilla groups found
in Bwindi, five are habituated - a total
of 76 individuals. The Uganda Wildlife Authority
is planning to habituate two more groups
as part of efforts to boost tourism.
END NOTES:
• A subspecies of the eastern gorilla, the
mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei)
became known to science on 17 October 1902.
Uncontrolled hunting, destruction of its
forest habitat, and capture for the illegal
pet trade have led to a dramatic decline
in gorilla numbers. As a result, the species
was threatened with extinction in the same
century it was discovered.
• Despite these dire predictions, ground-breaking
work by conservation groups has seen the
population grow from 624 in 1989 to approximately
720 today. They are found in Uganda’s Bwindi
Impenetrable National Park, as well as the
Virunga Mountains, a habitat shared by Mgahinga
National Park in Uganda, Volcanoes National
Park in northern Rwanda, and the southern
sector of Virunga National Park in the DRC.
• The Bwindi census was supported by several
organizations, including the Institute of
Tropical Forest Conservation, Wildlife Conservation
Society, Uganda Wildlife Authority, Max
Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology,
International Gorilla Conservation Programme,
USAID through the PRIME West Project, The
John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation,
Berggorilla und Regenwald Direkthilfe, and
WWF.
• The goal of the International Gorilla
Conservation Programme (IGCP), a partnership
of three international organizations - African
Wildlife Foundation, Fauna & Flora International
and WWF - is to ensure the conservation
of mountain gorillas and their forest habitat
in Rwanda, Uganda and the DRC. IGCP works
with the protected area authorities of the
three countries where mountain gorillas
occur.
Kimunya Mugo, WWF Eastern Africa Regional
Program Office
Olivier van Bogaert, Senior Press Officer
WWF International
