Mountain GorillasUganda |
The plight of the mountain gorilla was brought to the world's attention by the
dedication of a small number of individuals. The most well known of these
being Dian Fossey who lost her life fighting for the protection of the mountain
gorilla. Her work was based at Karisoke in a small hut, located at 3000m, on a
forested saddle between two volcanoes Karisimbi and Bisoke in Rwanda's Virunga
Volcanoes. It was here she was murdered in 1985 by poachers whose income was
threatened by her uncompromising attitude to the killing and capture of
gorillas often simply for their hands or feet to be converted to ash trays. Several groups of gorillas have now been habituated in the Virungas. The volcanoes and surrounding forests cover the borders or three countries: Uganda, Congo and Rwanda. It is possible to view the gorillas in any of the countries. Possibly the most organised of the countries is Uganda where just north of the Virunga Volcanoes, in the Bwindi Inpenetrable Forest, several groups of gorillas have been habituated and are visited on a daily basis. Permits to view the gorillas have to be obtained well in advance and if you are booking a private trip at short notice you may well be disappointed. The picture of the four month old baby gorilla in Bwindi was taken by Amy Pokempner who works for the WCS. We offer three trips for gorilla tracking in Bwindi Inpenetrable Forest: Budget Trip Luxury Trip Rwenzori Extension | Baby Gorilla Karisoke Virunga Volcanoes |