ORTPN MAGAZINE

MAY 2007
STEPOUTSPECIAL EDITION -JUNE 2008
1
MAY 2007
GORILLA TWINS
TURN 4YEARS
Vets to the Rescue: The Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project
Kwita Izina
Working Together to conserve our Wildlife

MAY 2007
13
Blind Garry Benjamintracks the Mt. Gorilla
6
From Poachers
to Farmers
Contents
I
t is with a justified sense of jubilation that I welcome you
to the fourth edition of Kwita Izina. Over the course of our
joint journey that started in June 2005, we have made giant
strides that would not have been possible without the universal
appeal of the mountain gorilla.
The numbers of baby gorillas being named aside, we are seeing
the energizing impact of gorilla conservation on the overall
wildlife regime in Rwanda . In addition to the spillovers of
gorilla revenue to conservation activities in Akagera and
Nyungwe protected areas, we are seeing ever growing interest
in Rwanda as a destination.
A positive attitude is evident among local communities who
are seeing the benefits of conservation in a completely different
light and today, Rwanda is a standing example of the success
of collaborative approaches to protection of wildlife.
While it is too early to rest on our laurels, I think we have all
earned a well deserved pat on the back for our achievements
thus far. The results of our efforts are there to see and am sure
we can achieve more if we maintain this partnership.
It is now my heartfelt pleasure to see you here again and I invite
you to discover more of the treasures hidden in the valleys
below the thousand hills.
Rosette Chantal Rugamba
Director General
ORTPN
12
GORILLA TWINS
TURN 4YEARS
4
A day in the life ofa Lady Vet
“we are seeing the
energizing impact of
gorilla conservation
on the overall
wildlife regime in
Rwanda”
Foreword
Editing/Layout:
GR8 Relations Ltd.
Kigali, Rwanda
(250) 08312516/7
www.gr8relations.com

As Rwanda prepared to host the 4th edition of Kwita Izina StepOut spoke to ORTPN Director General Rosette
Rugamba- excerpts
• The global conservation community will once again be heading to Rwanda for the Kwita Izina.
How has this event evolved over time?
The Kwita Izina is heading exactly where we wanted it to go. Previously, the gorilla naming ceremony was internal to the
ORTPN and its partners, especially the field staff. In 2005, we decided to raise its profile first with the local community and
to some extent our international conservation partners. The aim back then was to create awareness about the conservation
success of Rwanda and how our success with the gorilla could be used to change the image of the country because this is our
leading attraction. Kwita Izina has become a brand name synonymous with the success in conservation and the most exciting
event of the year.
• Why did you initially focus on the local community, yet the gorilla is seen an international
heritage?
Charity begins at home. If Rwandans don’t see themselves as part of this crusade, we would never achieve the vision we are
chasing. When you look at the way we did it n 2005, we decided to first sensitise our people before we went out to sensitise the
international community. We were very lucky in that the President accepted to leadership to this drive by attending as guest of
honour. This gave us a lot of mileage and the policy support combined with the enthusiasm displayed by the local community
is what has turned this into an international event.
• What is the significance of the themes you have been choosing?
The theme for the 2005 ceremony was “Ensuring the Future of the Mountain Gorillas of Rwanda” where the role of ordinary
Rwandans in gorilla conservation was higlighted. In 2006, the theme was “Recognizing the Role of the International Tourists”
who Selected Rwanda as Destination and in 2007, the theme was “Caring for Wildlife Concerns Us All”. We wanted to
show people that gorilla tourism in Rwanda goes beyond gorillas because the revenue from the gorillas is supporting the
conservation of the other protected areas. And given the fundraising associated with the event and how this money is being
used to uplift the quality of life in neighbourhood communities, there is a better appreciation among local communities of how
conservation and peaceful co-existence with wildlife has benefits for us as a country.
• As we go into the fourth edition of Kwita Izina what would you say have been its achievements?
It is impressive to see the way ordinary Rwandans have embraced the gorilla as a symbol not only of their individual but our
collective destiny as a country. In April 2007, we unveiled Kwita Izina as the Brand name for the Gorilla naming event in the
hope of propelling it into one of the world’s tourist premier events, and all indications are that we are on course to achieve
that.
Sixty five gorilla babies have been given names todate; funds have been raised through adoption and they have been ploughed
back into the community. During the fundraising ceremony held in 2005 and 2007 slightly over US $2.4m, and US $158,000
was collected respectively and has helped realize projects like the US $ 1.2 million Sabyinyo community lodge. Construction of
the lodge employed 600 locals with 80% of them being women. It will be inaugurated during Kwita Izina.
In addition ten water tanks for providing clean and safe water to thousands, two schools, a 74km Buffalo stone wall was
constructed around the Volcanoes national park to contain the wildlife from getting out of the parks to attack communities
and their farms; 10 community projects including several for giving alternatives to former poachers and a construction of
Community Commercial Shop Complex is in progress in Kinigi.
The event has also become an effective tool for attracting tourists to come and visit Rwanda during the Kwita Izina ceremonies.
Last year, 62 guests including Hollywood star Natalie Portman (the lead actress in Star Wars), Conservation personalities like
John Staiton (Producer of late crocodile hunter Steve Irwin), Jack Hanna (renowned conservationist and director Colombus
Zoo), Majorie Kaplan (President of Animal Planet and Discovery Kids), Terry and Tina Lundgren (President of Macy’s),
Ambassadors accredited to Rwanda, local and international Conservation to mention but a few and various media attended.
This year we expect the guest list to top 100.
• How do you see Kwita Izina evolving into the future?
Our long term vision is that as it becomes a bigger event, it needs to be owned by the industry. There is still a long way because
we need build the brand and assure stakeholders of its strength but we want to get to a time when the private sector will see
this as a selling opportunity and come out with packages centred around Kwita Izina.
3
Kwita Izina: A New Global Brand Unveils

MAY 2007
4
A day in the life of a
Lady Vet
Up Close with Elizabeth Nyirakaragire
F
or 21 years, Veterinary
Technician Elizabeth
Nyikaragire has been
juggling motherhood and
monitoring the health of
wildlife in the volcanoes
national park. A single
mother of three, Elizabeth
lost her husband, leaving
her as the sole breadwinner
for the family.
“I have two secondary
school going children and
one in primary. I have put
the older ones in boarding
school and hired a helper
to look after the younger
one while am at work,” she
during a recent conversation
with StepOut.
Her job is demanding
and Dr. Lucy Spelman, the
Regional Veterinary Manager
for the Mountain Gorilla
Veterinary Project who
describes Elizabeth as a
“very exceptional woman”
says working with gorillas is
a tough call and any woman
who does it is really brave.
For Elizabeth , a typical
day begins at 5.30 am when
she wakes up to prepare to
join the trackers who enter
the park between 6.30 and
7.00 am. Most days she will
stay in the forest until three
in the afternoon but this
depends on how far or close
the target group of gorillas
is on a particular day.

Health checks usually take
one hour but monitoring can
keep her occupied for up to
two hours on a single visit
“because each individual
member of the group must
be observed individually.”
Under normal
circumstances, she will take
one day off during the week,
go into the forest for three
days and spend another
three on community liaison
work, holding meetings with
local leaders to discuss how
to minimize transmission
of disease between humans
and animals. A disease
outbreak will keep her
engaged seven days a week.
“Gorillas are very close to
humans so they are very
susceptible to any ailments
we suffer although they may
not have the immunity to all
of them,” she says.
Although direct contact
with humans is one common
route, gorillas sometimes
get out of the forest in
search of eucalyptus. During
such excursions, they may
come into contact with old
clothes from which they
can pick diseases. Other
ailments such as scabies can
be taken to the forest by
poachers or other members
of the local community
who go into the forest in
search of resources such as
medicinal plants.
Park rules set a limit of
seven metres between
visitors and the primates
and the sick are not allowed
up the trails. But the
distance rule is sometimes
difficult to keep because
habituated juvenile gorillas
have become so accustomed
to human presence that
they will walk up to them,
sometimes even stretching
their hand out to touch the
visitors.
Elizabeth and the trackers
play the role of ‘eyes and
ears’ for the expert team
of vets for the Mountain
Gorilla Veterinary Project,
who come up to intervene
in response to reports
of incidents of unusual
discharges or respiratory
diseases.
Pneumonia is by far the
most fatal ailment especially
among baby gorillas.
Elizabeth knows the infants
are sick when she sees
them keeping their mouths
open and by observing their
breathing patterns.
“The most trying moment
is always when you have to
intervene. To access a sick
baby gorilla, the mother
must first be immobilized
in addition to ensuring
that the rest of the family
doesn’t attack the vets,”
she explains.
But that is only the smaller
challenge. Once the target
has been immobilized and
the rest of the family sees
no movement in them, they
tend to lose interest and
wander away. “We have to
make sure they don’t go so
far away as to leave the sick
one isolated. Once they go
too far, it may be impossible
for victim to ever rejoin a
group,” she says.
Do the gorillas ever
appreciate the beneficial
intervention by vets?
Unlikely says Elizabeth .
While the animals may have
vague memories of the vet
during frequent treatment,
this fades away after a
couple of days. Gorillas will
recognize humans in general
but they cannot isolate
individual faces. That is why
one negative experience
with one human, can affect
their perception of and
relationship with humans
for the worse. Elizabeth
does a job she enjoys most.
She looks to the future
with determination and
opportunism. With a backlog
of family commitments and
a demanding job, Elizabeth
’s story is one that speaks
volumes of success.
And her determination is
one that can serve as an
inspiration to thousands of
mothers out there whose
daily lives are full of
challenges.
“When one is focused and
dedicated to her work, you
are certainly well equipped
to fight all odds,” she
concludes.
5
MAY 2007

MAY 2007
in the Volcanoes national
park. As the benefits of
tourism increasingly become
evident to the community,
many are turning in their
snares and turning their
skills to conservation. At
Iby’iwacu cultural village,
Munyarukiko is a member
of one of nearly a dozen
ex-poachers associations
that are engaged in
different income generating
activities.
These days, you are likely
to find him showing off
to visitors his skills with
an arrow. Aiming at a
I
t is several years
since he gave up his
grisly trade but the
old man confesses
to that occasional
craving for bush
meat. When we meet
Munyarukiko Muzirampuhwe,
the legendary poacher of
Iby’iwacu cultural village on
a freezing Friday morning,
he complains that it is four
months since last enjoyed
the taste of beef.
That was after Edwin
Sabuhoro, director of the
Rwanda Eco Tours Agency,
had taken him down to
Ruhengeri where he allowed
him to eat to his fill. “I
don’t recall ever eating so
much meat, not even during
my days as a poacher,” he
recalls.
One of thousands of
poachers that have
renounced the practice to
embrace alternative income
generating activities,
Munyarukiko claims to have
been involved in the killing
of as many as 300 buffalo.
That is not counting his
exploits on the Ugandan
and Congolese sides of the
Virunga Massive, where he
often led raids.
Hunting wildlife for meat
and other resources was
once a way of life for
thousands of residents of
neighborhood communities
FromPoachers to Farmers:
Iby’iwacu
6
Munyarukiko Muzirampuhwe, the legendary poacher of
Iby’iwacu cultural village.

MAY 2007
palm frond planted in the
ground 10 metres away,
he does not miss his mark.
It is a testimony to his
marksmanship that our own
efforts are several metres
off target.
“I wouldn’t wish to go back
to poaching however long I
take without eating meat. I
now realize that this wildlife
and our welfare are closely
linked and I wouldn’t do
anything that threatens the
animals,” he says.
Metres away, Emmanuel
Harerimana is teaching
English to an adult class. He
was never a poacher but his
father was. “I never needed
to go poaching first because
I have had the benefit of a
modest education but more
importantly, today, this
job gives me the income
with which I can afford
basic necessities and the
occasional dish of beef when
the need arises,” he tells
StepOut.
He is preparing his adult
students to communicate
in English so that they can
take up opportunities as
guides, drivers or even
porters. “What we give
them is very basic. We want
them to learn to listen to
visitors, hold an intelligible
conversation with them and
then reading and writing,”
says Emmanuel.
Edwin adds that some
former poachers have been
trained to become tourist
drivers and a number had
been sent out to Uganda and
Kenya to master their new
trade. Rwanda Eco Tours,
who are the brains behind
the cultural village say their
goal is to create incentives
for local communities to
embrace conservation
by creating a direct link
between the tourism and
economic benefits for the
community.
Edwin says he initially
convinced 1000 locals to
get out of the forest and
turned them into farmers.
But seeing that farming was
not going to be enough, he
started the cultural village
not only to add value to his
product but to bring more
economic opportunities to
the community.
Iby’iwacu is a replica of
the Rwandan Kings court
and although royalty chose
to settle in Nyanza to the
south, the architecture of
the court originated from
Kinigi. Rwanda Eco Tours
spent nearly $20,000 on
the king’shut alone. Visitors
pay $20 to experience
traditional Rwandan culture
which goes directly into
the community basket.
The company also donates
20 percent of its profits
in support of programs
that benefit park side
communities. The cultural
village has become popular,
and increasingly, visitors
just want to spend the night
lying on the mats inside the
king’s hut where they listen
to Rwandan oral tradition.
“We don’t mind that and
we are really happy when
visitors take to experience
to the point of making
donations outside the entry
fee. We are now working
to add more products so
that we can enhance the
experience,” Edwin says.
“I wouldn’t wish to go back to poaching
however long I take without eating meat.”
7
Ex-poachers demonstrate newly acquired community skills

Mountain
GORILLAVeterinary Project
Vets to the Rescue:
The

C
all them the 911 of
the Virunga Massive.
When a health problem
crops up among the
highland gorillas of central Africa,
the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary
Project MGVP; is the first point
of reference. For twenty two years
now, the MGVP’s vets have been
providing health care to endangered
mountain gorillas in Rwanda
, Uganda and the Democratic
Republic of the Congo , the tree
countries straddling the Virunga
ranges.
Established in 1986 it is a unique
organization that provides a critical
linkinthecontinuingstruggletosave
theendangeredmountaingorillathat
still lives on the brink of extinction.
It was started at the request of the
late Dr. Dian Fossey who after
nearly two decades of studying the
behaviour of the mountain gorillas'
in the wild, concluded that their
rapidly declining numbers were
the result of human disease and
injuries.
With only 248 known mountain
gorillas remaining in the world in the
early eighties, Dr. Fossey sounded
the alarm bells that galvanized
action towards conservation of the
mountain gorilla. Numbers have
sincerecoveredto380intheVirunga
area, a telling testimony to the
success of the partnership between
gorilla tourism and conservation.
Sharing up to 98 percent of
their genes with us, gorillas are
susceptible to the ailments that
afflict us but unfortunately lack the
immune response that humans have
developed over the ages. The result
is high mortality rates in event of
disease outbreaks.
“Seventy five percent of Rwanda
gorillas are visited by humans at
a ratio of between 2000 and 3000
peoplepergorillaannually,”saysDr.
Lucy Spelman, Regional Veterinary
Field Manager for the MGVP.
Lucy says the continued success
of preservation of any endangered
species is closely tied to human
wealthandwelfareofthesurrounding
populations. Though the MGVP
plays an important role in attending
to the health needs of the gorillas,
tourism has contributed bringing
the benefits of their conservation to
the local communities. Equally, the
tourism value of the primates helps
in raising the funds needed to run
the activities of the MGVP.
“There is no way you are going to
keep the animals safe and healthy
if the people living next to the park
9
MAY 2007
are poor and sick” she observes.
The MGVP is also a forum for
sharing expertise between experts
and in-country vets who may not
have the training or exposure that
their western counterparts have
had.
In all the MGVP employs eight
vets – 2 each in Uganda and the
D. R Congo one in Rwanda and
three expatriates. The project is
headquartered in Rwanda because
there is more gorilla tourism in
Rwanda but also because research
into the behaviour of gorillas started
Dr. Jean Felix Kinani and Lady Vet Elizabeth Nyirakaragire
examine one of the Gorillas.
here. Rwanda has eight groups open
to tourists and seven groups for
research.
While the participating team of local
vets have all had good training,
Lucy says practicing veterinary
medicine in the wild is sometimes
about making the right decisions at
critical moments and that is where
experience in varied environments,
such as her own 20 years of practice
make a difference.
Most of the time, the vets watch
disease outbreaks or injuries among
the gorillas but a decision has to me
made whether the outbreak will be
self limiting, in which you don’t
need to intervene.
“That is where our expertise comes
in because we have the experience
to know which cases require
immediate attention and which can
beleftresolvethemselvesnaturally,”
Lucy says.
Dr. Lucy is a compelling story
teller and most of her day to day
encounters are best read on her blog
:www.gorilladoctors.wildlifedirect.
org or http://blogs.discovery.com/
quest/

10
the footsteps of Kigali golf
course
Construct 300 high end»»
apartments adjacent to the
golf course.
A five-star tent camp where a»»
room will cost $2000 a night.
An airstrip at Akagera park»»
to service tourists visiting the
park.
The United Arabs Emirates
company manages and
supervises the portfolio of
businesses and projects for
Dubai government across 100
different cities in the world.
Tourism performance
Earnings from the tourism
sector grew by 18 percent from
USD 35.9 million in 2006 to
USD 42.3 million in 2007.
Tourists visiting Rwanda
increased by 26 percent from
31,000 in 2006 to 39,000 in
2007.
Tourism officials target 50,000
tourists for 2008 which should
generate $68 million.
Trans-boundary
Collaboration
As a measure of promoting
conservation efforts across
parks that straddle the borders
of Uganda, Congo and Rwanda,
tourism authorities in the three
countries are collaborating on a
number of initiatives.
This year ORTPN paid USD
131,000 to Congolese tourism
authorities an increase
compared to the USD 97,000
paid up in 2007.
Excellence at ITB 2008
For the second time in a
row, Rwanda emerged best
exhibitor in the African category
during the 2008 annual Berlin
Exhibition. The world’s largest
tourism exhibition attracted
11,147 exhibitors from 186
countries.
Dubai World Investment
Dubai’s largest holding
company, Dubai World is
investing a total of $230 million
in different tourism projects in
Rwanda.
Dubai World will set up;
Three 4-star lodges within»»
Akagera national Park,
Nyungwe National Park and
in Kinigi.
A new five-star hotel at»»
?Did you know
Rwandan delegation to the International Tourismous
Bourse fair (ITB) show off the Rwandan trophy.

MAY 2007
11
“The high-end Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge(Below)
was built from proceeds of the fundraiser conducted
during the first edition of the International gorilla
naming ceremony in June 2005.”
Sabyinyo Community Lodge Association reaps bigfrom Lodge Venture
a long term view to this investment
and don’t expect the benefits to
come overnight,” Prosper says.
The lodge comprises nine cottages,
a main building that houses the
reception, restaurant and lounge and
one family house. Set in a scenic
gorge surrounded by sprouts of
bamboo, the Silverback lodge offers
great views in a serene environment
where nature is at peace with its
guests.
The 18 bed facility that is charging
a full board rate of $520 per
person sharing is fully booked up
to September. Under the revenue
sharing agreement with Governors
Camp, SACOLA gets $50 per bed
night in addition to 7.5 percent of
quarterly profits.
The 30,000 strong member
association is run by a General
Assembly of 35, seven
executive committee members
and four committees in charge
of Infrastructure, Culture, Legal
affairs and Audit.
Fidel says the General Assembly
nominates the projects to be funded
and then collaborates with sector
and village administrators for
implementation.
But concerned about the sorry
condition of the two kilometer
road leading to the upscale lodge,
SACOLA members decided to
plough back 22 million francs as
theircontributiontowardsimproving
the access road. Although it is still
a rugged mountain track, the ride
is smoother, faster and all weather
as bridges and culverts have been
built across the brooks that cross its
path.
SACOLA Chairman Fidel
Habarurema says the road was
the first priority identified by the
community because of its multiplier
effect and the possibility that a bad
road could negatively impact on the
lodge’s appeal. A second project
involved building some 10 houses
for underprivileged.
Volcanoes National Park Warden
Prosper Uwingeli says they were
at first puzzled by the community’s
choice or project but it later
transpired that the lodge had missed
out on one of its earliest guests, an
elderly lady, who cut her visit short
after complaining of back pains
she blamed on the rough ride to the
guest house.
“Still it is a positive development as
itshowsthatthecommunityistaking
The Sabyinyo Community Lodge
Association (SACOLA) has began
toseethebenefitsoftheirinvestment
in an upscale lodge after managers
Governors Camp transferred 26
million Rwandan francs as the
community’s share of profits from
the first quarter of operations that
ended February 2008.
But unfazed by the glitter of silver,
the simple folk of Kinigi have
chosen to contribute a large chunk
of that money to improving the road
to the lodge from where the tarmac
stops in the hope that the kind words
of satisfied guests will attract more
business in the future.
Trading as Sabyinyo Silverback
Lodge, the $1.2 million investment
that will be launched as part of
activities to mark this year’s
edition of Kwita Izina was built
from proceeds of the fundraiser
conducted during the first edition
of the international gorilla naming
ceremony in June 2005. That
ceremony, where President Kagame
presided as Chief Guest raised US
$ 2.4 million in donations that have
been used to implement several
community projects that include the
lodge, a 74 kilometre buffalo wall
and a communal water facility.
SACOLA Chairman Fidel Habarurema

MAY 2007
I
t was an interesting prelude
to this years Kwita Izina
ceremony as the world’s only
surviving gorilla twins; Byishimo
and Impano, turned 4years on
May 20th.
Born to Nyabyitondere,
the now juvenile and healthy
looking twins have become not
only the object of great interest
to scientists but also the centre
of attraction in the Susa family of
gorillas.
Commenting on the event,
an elated Rosette Rugamba,
Director General of the Rwanda
Tourism Board, said, “when
the twins were born on May
20th
2004, nobody could have
envisaged seeing both infants
living to their forth birthday.”
She adds that, “not only is the
birth of twins among gorillas
very rare, but even when it
happens; the survival of both
twins is extremely unusual.”
Since the twins birth four years
ago, conservationists have
always been concerned about the
chances of their survival and the
ability of the mother to care for
two babies, as they grew older.
However, everyday that passed,
brought new hope for their long
term survival, as the mother was
seen making an incredible but
GORILLA TWINS TURN 4YEARS
The World’s only surviving Mountain
successful job of caring for and
feeding both infants.
Their bright future started at
the first public gorilla naming
ceremony in 2005, when they
were privileged to be named by
the first family, H.E the President
of Rwanda Paul Kagame
and the First Lady Mme
Jeannette Kagame. They were
named Byishimo
(Happiness) and Impano (Gift).
One may wonder what Mother
Nyabyitondere has gone
through while raising her
babies. The Chief Park warden
of Volcanoes National Park , Mr.
Uwingeri Prosper observes that
“like any outstanding mother,
top on the list is the exceptional
determination she displayed as
she always seemed strong and
ready to face any challenge.”
He adds, “she learnt to cope
with immense curiosity from
other gorillas keen to observe the
twins; especially young gorillas.
She was also using more time to
feed than the rest of the group.”
The trackers who monitored
trio’s progress report that
though initially over protective
of her babies, Nyabyitondere
gradually learnt to let the other
gorillas create rapport with the
twins, by letting them touch,
groom (clean) and on some
occasions help to carry one of
the twins.
Prosper says further that the
most amazing moment that has
reflected the level of attachment
shared by the mother and the
twins is during the grooming.
“They have displayed a chain
grooming behaviour where the
mother grooms the female twin
while the female twin grooms
the male twin at the same
time.” He adds that this is really
something new. One wonders
how other gorillas don’t get
jealous observing this chain
grooming.
At four, Byishimo and Impano
are no longer babies but have
joined the new age category of
“juveniles”. At this age gorillas
are more independent in their
daily activities, they can make
their own nests and sleep alone
and the mother is normally
ready to conceive again.
M. Gandhi, the spiritual
leader of the Indian revolution
declared that “the greatness of
a country can be judged by its
efforts in wildlife conservation”.
The survival of Byishimo and
Impano is another symbolic
testimony of the prosperity of
Rwanda ’s mountain gorillas.
Each baby gorilla birth is a huge
contribution towards the gene
pool and continued survival of
thisendangeredspecies.Thebirth
and in particular the survival
of twins of different sexes is a
blessing to Rwanda ’s continual
efforts in conservation.
For Rwanda to internationally
advocateforgorillaconservation,
the Kwita Izina, an emotional
and uniquely Rwandan
ceremony of naming new born
babies has been passed on to
the naming of baby gorillas. It
is a forum to remind us of our
collective moral responsibility to
ensure sustainable conservation
of our closest ancestors. Since
2005, the event that has now
turned international has become
Rwanda’spremiertourismevent
attracting celebrities, media and
thousands of people of all walks
of life from all over the world.
12

MAY 2007
MAY 2007
BlindGarry
Benjamin
tracks the
Mt. Gorilla
A
s part of his job,
Volcanoes National Park
tourism warden Eugene
Mutangana is trained to expect
the unusual. But nothing could
have prepared him for the call
that came his way last November.
Mission? He was assigned to
guide Garry Benjamin, a blind
tourist, up the mountain trails to
track gorillas.
“It was unlike anything I had
experienced and though we have
had disabled tourists visiting the
gorillas before, taking a blind
man up was a different kettle of
fish,” says Eugene.
Falling back on his training,
Eugene made some quick
decisions. One was to ensure that
Garry, who was accompanied
by his wife, would track the
group of gorillas closest to park
headquarters. Gary wanted to
track gorillas not just once but
twice just as his wife had done
before.That was in addition to the
Golden Monkeys that he wanted
to track on November 22.
Eugene says that the biggest
challenge of guiding a disabled
person is that he entirely depends
on you. But Gary ’s disability
brought a sense of incredulity
to the whole exercise because
lacking sight; one wondered
what value he would get out of
tracking.
Eugene soon discovered that
unlike those more fortunate to
see for themselves, Gary had
a more developed sense of
smell and hearing. A teacher
by profession, Gary, 67 lost his
sight when he was just 21.
“I was shocked because even
before I had told him we were
getting closer to the gorillas, he
told me he was picking a new
scent and he thought it was the
gorillas. Garry was spot on and
once they had come into contact
with the primates, he asked
to be left alone, taking in the
animal scent and the sounds it
made. His wife was on hand to
give physical descriptions of the
surroundings.
“It was both amazing and
touching to see such courage in
a blind person especially when
you consider the many people
who can see perfectly but never
bother to make this trip. And
you could see that he was really
happy to be here. I found his
courage very inspiring,” recalls
Eugene.
Eugene had been given just
two days notice to prepare for
Gary , so he made the best of
the circumstances. He arranged
for two sets of guides, including
himself – one set to take Gary
up and the other to bring him
down.
Despite his disability, Gary also
triedtomakethejobeasierforthe
guides by adapting a particular
way of clasping on to them.
Perhaps the biggest challenge for
both Gary and his guides related
to keeping the mandated 25 feet
distance from the primates. You
had to keep moving him because
ablindpersonmaynotaccurately
measure such strict distances.
Overall however, Gary enjoyed
the sounds and scents of the
forest.
13

MAY 2007
Kinigi Community
Embraces Conservation
14
you need to organize an event, they
are available at very short notice,”
says Prosper.
The more than 200 ex-poachers
associationshavealsobeenequipped
with different skills and they help
with community sensitization and
providing incident reports.
“They are playing an important role
in reporting problems because we
cannot have rangers everywhere. So
if a buffalo breaks through the wall,
rather than kill it, they report to park
authorities who make appropriate
interventions. They also participate
in patrols and this has helped us to
keep the relationship alive,” Prosper
explains.
Alot has changed since then because
as Prosper explains, mere knowing
who was a poacher is good enough
in itself. Poaching is not always
about killing animals but seemingly
harmless activities such as laying
beehives in the park to trap honey
used to scare away gorillas because
they fear bees. And fires were often
lit when harvesting the honey setting
off incidents of bush fires.
Says Prosper: “We are making
progress but we still face challenges
convincing them not to put
beehives on the buffalo wall which
they consider harmless. We have
introduced modern beekeeping but
it is not yet very popular. Their
reasoning is that the forest produces
better quality honey so our challenge
is to match expectations to reality.
We must get them to see that while
tourism has benefits, these do not
come in a day.”
Prosper Uwingeli is the Chief Park
warden at the Volcanoes National
Park and he was very much in his
element as the area prepared to host
the fourth edition of Kwita Izina.
As the local community prepared
to host the event that would bring
the world to Kinigi, it was his duty
to ensure that the community was
very much part of the preparations
and felt ownership of what has
become the biggest event on the
local calendar.
“Building partnerships by making
thiseventamediumforcollaboration
with the local community so that
they can be a tool for conservation
continue to be the central theme of
this ceremony but don t want it to
become routine,” he told us when
we visited Kinigi three weeks to
D-day.
With the local community of
corporate and ordinary residents
actively involved, Prosper was
looking forward to an enriched
Kwita Izina full of cultural displays
and handcrafts made by the locals.
Through associations, the local
community has been galvanized
into very a proactive partner that
actively participates in protection
and conservation activities. Today
they volunteer one day of the week
to conservation activities, working
for no monetary gain to repair park
infrastructure such as breeches in the
buffalo wall and general cleaning.
“Our collaboration evolved to a
point where when we ran short of
trackers we fall back on them or if
One of the 12 water tanks constructed
74km Buffalo Stone wall to stop wild animals
from raiding communal walls.
The Rugarama Honey factory.

MAY 2007
a process to that would elaborate
conservation policies in Rwanda.
Among scheduled keynote speakers
were Professor Ebert Fischer who
has done extensive work on gorilla
research,MarkRobinsfromtheMax
Planck Institute who has done work
gorilla genetics, former Uganda
Wildlife Director Arthur Mugisha
who is a policy expert, and former
directors of the Karisoke Research
Centre. Rwandan researchers were
also scheduled to present their
findings during the conference.
Fidel says the mountain gorilla
is the appropriate launch pad for
such a discussion because while
conservation has been a difficult
challenge the world over, gorilla
conservation has been a singular
success and there is a lot of interest
in this model and how it can be
replicated. Among the most notable
successes has been the voluntary
participation by neighbourhood
communities which has raised
hopes that gorilla numbers are on a
path to sustainable recovery.
“We are going towards sustainable
numbers and there now there is
A
n international conference
bringing together the cream
of the conservation will
explore the success of Rwanda’s
gorilla conservation model and
its potential application to overall
protected areas management. The
one day event is one of the features
of the expanded weeklong Kwita
Izina ceremony whose climax will
be the gorilla naming ceremony on
June 21.
“We expect this conference to
highlight the scientific strides
made in gorilla conservation, in the
areas of research and continuing
challenges and how the sum total
of this experience can be applied to
the wider field of protecting wildlife
in general,” ORTPN Director for
Wildlife Fidel Ruzigandegwe.
The conference was expected to be
a rich gathering of protected area
managers from Rwanda and abroad,
academics, policy makers, social
scientists, economists, planners,
civil society groups and the tourism
trade among others. Ruzugandegwe
added that he expected the
conference to be a launch pad for
Conference Highlights Role
of Research in Conservation
real hope that these great apes will
survive into the future and there is
still room in the Virunga massive
to support higher numbers,” Says
Fidel.
Experts at the Mountain Gorilla
Veterinary Project estimate that
gorilla numbers have increased 17
percent in the past twenty years,
rising from just under 240 to 380 in
the Virunga massive.
Fidel says it is not time to rest in
the search for solutions because the
mountain gorilla habitat lies in the
most densely populated areas of the
world and so it is always going to
be a challenge conserving the apes
while attending to the needs of the
human population.
“This will only happen if the
survival of the gorillas benefits the
human population to create a win-
win situation.”
The conference is expected to result
new approaches for integrating
protected area management with
environmental and community
livelihoods.
Platinum
Bronze
Supporters
BRALIRWA S.A
BRASSERIES ET LIMONADERIES DU RWANDA
PAB
Bourbon
CoffeeTVR RIIRwanda Tourism Institute
Thank you for supporting Kwita Izina 2008
15

Office Rwandais du Tourism et
des Parcs Nationaux
Boulevard de la Revolution no 1
P.O Box 905 Kigali, Rwanda
Tel: (250) 576514 / 573396
Fax: (250) 576515
Website: www.kwitizina.org
Email: kwitaizina@rwandatourism.com

ORTPN MAGAZINE

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