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Gorilla naming ceremony highlights conservation efforts
- 2. 10 travelcourier.ca | august 20, 2015 “STAND BACK! CREATE A PATH! Within seconds of hearing my local tour guide’s stern instructions, a large male gorilla went from sitting peace- fully under a tree to brushing past us at a rapid pace. In the thick of a bamboo forest in Rwanda’s Virunga Mountains, a chain of volcanoes in East Africa running along the border of Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, I was part of a small group of travellers assigned to visit the Titus family of gorillas that day. Before embarking on the trek, we’d gathered in Volcanoes National Park headquarters early in the morning with our gorilla permits, which are required to secure a visit with a family in the wild, for a safety briefing and to witness a beautiful traditional Intore dance routine with drums and chanting. Joined by two fellow members from the Intrepid Travel tour I was on, and an English couple on their honeymoon, we then headed off in a single file behind our park leader, who used a walkie-talkie to periodically Story & Photos by ANN RUPPENSTEIN Meeting silverbacks is tourism gold COVER STORY | RWANDA with moPERSONAL UP CLOSE and
- 3. august 20, 2015 | travelcourier.ca 11 check-in with a team of trackers keeping daily watch on the park’s gorillas. According to Jenny Gray, Intrepid Travel’s Africa product manager, guidelines are put in place to reduce behavioral disturbances and disease transmission, and to protect both gorillas and tourists during these intimate visits. “Once you locate your gorilla family, your group is only permitted to stay for one hour to view them, she says. “No flash photography is allowed and tourists are not permitted to trek when they are unwell or have a cold.” Although we were told to whisper to keep from fright- ening the gorillas, after hiking uphill through thick foliage (read: piercing stinging nettles) for over two hours, our grins were a giveaway as to how ecstatic we were to spot the first few gorillas in the 13-member Titus family. Crouching between bushes and tree branches, we watched as two sisters rustled around on the ground, play-fighting. untain gorillas in Rwanda
- 4. 12 travelcourier.ca | august 20, 2015 Maybe a little too eager since we were instructed to always maintain a distance of seven meters, we all inched closer to get a good view not to mention a good photo. After several minutes the gorillas stopped fighting and the eldest of the two headed off for the bushes behind us, but not before patting the newlywed bride in my group on the arm. Despite being startled, she was unscathed and earned extra bragging rights about her one-on-one contact. Wide-eyed, we all exchanged smiles, as if to say, “this is awesome!” Tourism, especially from the gorilla permits, has a posi- tive impact on the local economies in Rwanda and Uganda, where Intrepid currently runs five tours with a gorilla com- ponent, ranging from four to 16 days, the most popular being the Gorillas, Chimps and Game Parks tour I was on. Statistics from the Rwanda Development Board indicate the country generated US$304.9-million in 2014 from tourism and attracted 1,220,000 international visitors. Totaling US$213.43-million, payments for gorilla permits accounted for 70% of the total tourism revenues last year. “That is a huge incentive for the government and local com- munities to conserve and protect the park and the animals people travel so far to see”, Gray says, adding that in the past gor- illas were often seen as bush meat. Funds from the permits are used in a number of ways that benefit the community: education, investment in community projects such as high- end lodges, and conservation efforts.” As a result of more aggressive conservation efforts over the last 10 years, roughly 180 mountain gorilla infants were bred in Rwanda. She notes employment opportunities are generated for guides, trackers, porters, rangers and anti-poachers. With only a select number of permits allocated per gor- illa family each day (eight in the Volcanoes National Park) Gray says permits tend to sell out during peak months, the long dry season from mid May to mid-October, but Intrepid pre-purchases them for group departures to ensure touring travellers don’t miss out on the experience. Depending on which gorilla family visitors are assigned to, treks can take anywhere from one to eight hours. I later found out that another group from my Intrepid tour came across their family within 20 minutes, but I’ll maintain that the longer hike made it more authentic and worthwhile. While it’s cheaper to trek in Uganda, at US$600 p.p. as opposed to US$750 p.p. in Rwanda, Rwanda has a larger population of gorillas (two thirds of the world’s mountain gorillas) and the gorilla trekking region is more accessible for those on shorter trips. “In Rwanda, the gorilla tracking industry has developed significantly over the last few years and this area is gener- ally regarded as the easiest option if your priority is purely seeing the gorillas rather than enjoying an extended tour of the region,” Gray says. “Kigali, the capital, is just a two hours drive south of the Virunga and with regular inter- national flight connections, access is made very easy.”
- 5. august 20, 2015 | travelcourier.ca 13 Travellers with an extra day to spare in Rwanda can also visit Volcanoes National Park’s other offerings, like tracking golden monkeys or visiting the Dian Fossey memorial. Fossey is the subject of the 1988 movie Gorillas in the Mist, and carried out research in the mountains before she was murdered. Aside from the cheaper price tag, an advantage of trekking gorillas in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is that the park itself is located at a slightly lower altitude and the forested area is a little easier to hike through, which can make for an easier trek. Both parks issue certificates for trekkers as a thank you for contributing to the cause of conserving the critically endangered mountain gorillas. After our close encounter with the male gorilla and witnessing the play-fighting sisters, we were led to an open clearing to watch the group’s silverback and second in command munch on bamboo shoots (and to get personal portraits taken with a gorilla in the background). Still in awe, I was also a little bit antsy that our time would come to an end without seeing the group’s infant gorilla. Since learning of the three-month old baby at the beginning of the trek, my anticipation, along with the panic that it may not happen, kept increasing. But in our last 15 minutes with the Titus family, the moment of glory finally occurred. In the grass a mere metre before us, the mother gorilla cradled the baby in her arms, pressing its face against her chest. Trying to catch more than a glimpse of the youngster’s face, I didn’t even notice that the group’s second in command gorilla had approached the mother until he was stroking her head. Within a minute she placed the baby to her side, giving us a picture-perfect view. Upon seeing the baby’s tiny tongue dangle out of its mouth and a little hand lift up in the air, I had to resist the urge to go pick up the gorilla. As I put my camera down, the reality of how remarkable it was to witness this family bond in the middle of nature, sunk in. With that our time, one of the fastest hours of my life, was over, but the mem- ories are unforgettable. →www.intrepidtravel.com tc 24 BABY MOUNTAIN GORILLAS TO BE NAMED AT ANNUAL CEREMONY KNOWN LOCALLY AS KWITA IZINA, THE 11TH ANNUAL GORILLA NAMING CEREMONY WILL TAKE PLACE AT THE FOOTHILLS OF THE VIRUNGA MOUNTAINS IN RWANDA ON SEPT. 5. Thousands of visitors are expected to turn out for the naming of 24 baby mountain gorillas, which is presented by the Rwanda Development Board. Although gorilla naming, a uniquely Rwandan tradition, has always been a part of the country’s culture, Kwita Izina was intro- duced in 2005 with the aim of creating awareness for the endan- gered mountain gorilla. This year’s Kwita Izina will take place as Rwanda carries out another general census of the gorilla population in Virunga National Park. The last report in 2010 showed a 26.3% growth in the gorilla population over a period of seven years. New to the ceremony this year are the Kwita Izina Awards, which will celebrate achievements that have had a significant impact on improving tourism and the protection of the wildlife globally. Awards will be given to recognize local conservationists for their lifetime contributions to conservation and tourism. Throughout the event, a business expo will highlight the economic growth in Rwanda. A week of activities and events aimed at promoting conservation- ism will also take place leading up to the event including a photo exhibition, community party, forum, and the launch of a community project: a public library, which was set up with support from the Dianne Fossey Foundation, in order for the public to access conserv- ation and responsible tourism information. →www.rwandatourism.com