GORILLA CONSERVATION

In the beginning of 2013 we approached the Chief Park Warden of Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda, Mr. Prosper Uwingeli, requesting him to contribute to our informative website with an interview. He accepted to give us his views and opinions about the gorilla conservation in Rwanda, views and opinions who are the expression of the work done by Rwanda Development Board (the government body in charge of the management of the national parks in Rwanda). The interview is published in July 2013 exclusively for The Gorilla Talks! Enjoy the reading.

This interview was done in the month of August 2012 with Pontious Esuma, Conservation Area Manager Bwindi Mgahinga for Uganda Wildlife Authority. The interview was prepared by Costantino Tessarin, with the aim of answering to those typical questions asked by tourists and visitors about the gorillas. Special thank to Pontious Esuma, who spent so many years managing conservation in the Bwindi and Mgahinga national parks and gave us a very detailed insight over the current status of “gorilla conservation” in Uganda.

 
These questions were responded to by Anna Behm Masozera, Communications Officer for the International Gorilla Conservation Programme (IGCP) on June 25, 2012. IGCP is a regional organization focused on the conservation of the critically endangered mountain gorilla. More information about IGCP can be found at www.igcp.org.
 

Gorillas are the only representative of the world’s largest primate living in the wild. The population of mountain gorillas is believed to have been reasonably stable until 1960’s when it was estimated to be 450 by George Schaller in the Virunga Conservation area. The number went on reducing in 1970s to 250 and this was due to the factors like the splitting of the Albert National Park into its current Parc National des Volcans in Rwanda and Virunga National Park in Congo and especially the loss of about 40% of the habitat in the Rwandan park.