RWANDA GORILLA FAMILY MIGRATES TO UGANDA
RWANDA GORILLA FAMILY MIGRATE TO UGANDA
Rwanda’s Hirwa gorilla family migrates to Mgahinga Gorilla national park located in southwestern part of Uganda. Hirwa gorilla group was among the 10 habituated mountain gorilla families in volcanoes national park of Rwanda, the gorilla group has been residing in the northern region of volcanoes national park, the family consists 20 individuals currently residing in Mgahinga gorilla national park around Mt. Gahinga regions, however the gorilla family transferring to Mgahinga national park is reported not the first incident for it to cross borders to other neighboring national gorilla parks, the gorilla group shifted from DRC before it settled around the slopes Mountain Gahinga region in Rwanda
Uganda’s Mgahinga national park has 2 gorilla families available for Mountain gorilla trekking, thus 16 gorilla trekking permits available for Uganda gorilla safaris each day. Nyakagyezi gorilla family, which was the only gorilla family in Mgahinga national park, is now managed along side with the new Hirwa gorilla family. Today Nyakagyezi and Hirwa gorilla family have settled and available for gorilla trekking in Mgahinga gorilla national park each day; however before Nyakagyezi gorilla family group settled in Mgahinga, it was difficult to trek due to its continuous movements from Mgahinga to Virunga national park in DRC
Money to be collected from the purchase of Hirwa gorilla trekking permits is to be shared into half (50-50) between the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) and Rwanda Development Board (RDB), much as the Rwanda gorilla trekking permits costs $1500, Hirwa gorilla trekking permits will go for $600 making it $300 for Ugandans and $300 for Rwandese
ABOUT HIRWA GORILLA FAMILY
Hirwa gorilla family is one of the gorilla groups that roam around the Virunga conservation area, Hirwa means “the Lucky one” in the native Kinyarwanda however the family came into existences when Munyinga the dominant silverback got some miss-understandings with Susa family for over mating the females in the family, he then decided to leave the family with two females and he inhabited Mt. Sabyinyo collecting other females, initially the group is regarded the lucky one as its first birth resulted into a set of twins making it one of the few mountain gorilla groups with twins, the gorilla family is visited by 8 people for gorilla trekking each day just like other mountain gorilla groups in Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and Rwanda.
MOUNTAIN GORILLA BORDER CROSSING
Just like other wild creatures, mountain gorillas have no knowledge about national boundaries, long before time mountain gorillas have been observed crossing borders unknowingly, they have moved freely from geographical borders of Virunga conservation area which is shared by Rwanda, Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo
ABOUT VIRUNGA LANDSCAPE
Virunga landscape comprises of 3 wildlife reserves, 4 forest reserves with numerous birds, vegetation, wild animals, and 8 national parks comprising of Mgahinga gorilla national park, however the 3 national parks Bwindi impenetrable forest national park, Rwenzori Mountain National park an Virunga national parks are UNESCO world heritage sites, Lake George is a Ramsar site well as Queen Elizabeth national park is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.
