Gerald Tenywa
29 September 2003
Kampala — MORE tourists will be permitted to track mountain gorillas following a split of one of the groups of the globally endangered primates at Bwindi impenetrable national park.
John Makombo, the park warden told The New Vision that the group had two dominant males, which caused the separation. He said gorillas live in families headed by silver-backed males.
Makombo said the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) after consultations with partners, including the International Gorilla Conservation Programme (IGCP) approved six more permits for gorilla tracking near Buhoma tourist camp. He said they have been monitoring the split group and there was no sign of re-uniting.
Makombo said they would issue a total of 18 permits for the three groups at Bwindi. He said UWA gives a maximum of six permits for tracking a group of gorillas a day.
He said research in Rwanda also shows that once a group splits and does not re-unite for more than three months, then they stay as separate groups.
Makombo said gorilla tracking at Buhoma began in the mid 1990s after habituation of two groups, Habinyanja and Mubare.
He said habituation is a delicate process through which gorillas get used to human beings without losing their wild character.
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