Census shows Mountain Gorilla Population increases to 1063 individuals

Mountain Gorilla Population Census results of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and contiguous Sarambwe Nature Reserve released on the 16^th of December 2019 shows an increase from 400 members to 459. This brings the global total population of Mountain gorillas to 1,063 from 1004 from the last survey in the Virunga National Park.

The survey was conducted by the conservation Authorities within the protected areas within Ugandan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. It involved over 75 trained survey members working under the transboundary framework of the Greater Virunga Transboundary Collaboration. Partners who supported the survey include the International Gorilla Conservation Programme (IGCP), a coalition of Conservation International, Fauna & Flora International, People’s Postcode Lottery and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

The gorilla families are stated to have increased from 36 to 50 with 13 solitary individuals. The increase in mountain gorilla numbers within Bwindi forest undoubtedly came in as good news. There is lots of excitement not only for conservationists but the whole tourism industry and travelers as well. Uganda gorilla safaris are getting better and therefore a perfect time to take a tour to Bwindi to trek gorillas.

Last year the increase of the mountain gorilla population to 1,004 was a success story as this saw the specie moved from critically endangered to endangered. The population of Mountain gorillas has gradually been increasing with the 2002 census showing an improvement by approximately 7% to 320 individuals, about 380 in 2006 with Bwindi alone having about 314 individual in 2006. At this time there were 5 habituated gorilla groups with a total of 76 individuals, 25 unhabituated groups with 227 individuals and 11 solitary silverback males.

Uganda Gorilla Trekking rules and regulations

• Do not visit the gorillas if you have a cold or other infectious illness
• Human waste should be buried 30cm deep
• Maximum number of visitors is eight persons per gorilla group each day
• Maintain a 7m (21ft) distance from the gorilla
• Smoking, eating and drinking are not permitted on the tour
• If you must sneeze or cough cover your face and turn away from the gorillas, as they can catch coughs and colds from humans
• Visits are limited to one hour per gorilla group per day
• Do not use flash photography

Best time to go gorilla trekking in Uganda 

The best time of the year for a gorilla tracking safaris is during the dry season months of June –August and December –February which makes it easy to go through the trails. When trails are drier, gorilla trekking is easy since trails are passable and the park is accessible. It is best advisable to track gorillas during the dry season since it’s easy to trek gorillas as well as view wildlife. However, the dry season is actually the peak or high season therefore early booking is recommendable since permits can easily get fully booked as well as accommodation.

How to book for a Uganda gorilla trekking safari

Booking for a gorilla tour Uganda can be one of the complicated trips to plan, however just find the right tour operator to do this for you. Wild Jungle Trails Safaris and Gorilla Trail Safaris have expertise in planning gorilla trips in Uganda and can do all the best planning.