Gorillas are an endangered species living in Virunga mountain ranges and in Bwindi impenetrable National Park in Uganda. Since mountain gorillas are critically endangered, it is important to keep track of their numbers and determine whether the population is stable. Over the years, the gorillas were under a serious threat from human beings, which almost led them to total extinction.
There were over 700 mountain gorillas during the pre and colonial when the human population had not increased and there was stability in the region. The plight of the gorillas in the wild was good and there was steady population growth. During the colonial days, gorilla tourism had started with tourists coming from all over the world to come and see the gorillas.
However, the trend would later change after the 1960’s when the colonial governments granted independence to the respective governments. This followed a period of political instabilities and lawlessness which saw an increase in poaching of animals in the national parks including gorillas, encroachment on the forest which is a habitat for the gorillas, rebel activities in the forests which highly endangered the lives of the mountain gorillas.
By 1980’s, there were less than 300 gorillas counted in the whole of Virunga mountain ranges, which covers Volcanoes National park Rwanda, Virunga National park in democratic republic of Congo and Mgahinga National park in Uganda.
The major threat of the mountain gorilla population was due to poaching. The gorillas were mainly poached for trade of their feet, and exporting of the young gorillas to the European zoos. To capture one young gorilla, over 10 gorillas had to lose their lives in trying to protect their young ones from captivity.
The plight of gorillas came after 1967 when an American Primatologist Dian Fossey settled in the Virunga Mountains to research about the mountain gorillas. She vehemently fought poachers and conserved the lives of the mountain gorillas, the battle she lost in 1985 to allegedly the very poachers she was fighting.
However, her effort did not die in vain as her work continued through her project Digit fund which was later named Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund. This Dian Fossey Gorilla fund continues to protect and conserve the lives of the mountain gorillas.
To be able to attain this, there has to be regular counting on the gorilla population.
This Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund majorly operate in Virunga Mountain ranges specifically in Volcanoes national park in Rwanda and Virunga National park in Democratic republic of Congo where Dian Fossey had concentrated her efforts.
Currently, about 470 mountain gorillas live in the Virunga Mountains, with the remaining half of the world’s mountain gorilla population living in Bwindi impenetrable National park in Uganda.
The last census of the mountain gorillas in the virunga mountain ranges took place in 2010 by the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund with the help of the group of researchers from the Karisoke research centre and the porters hired from the local community.
Another gorilla counting started in October 2015 and has been undergoing expected to end by the end of June 2016, but the final results are expected to be out by 2017.
Counting of the gorillas involves dividing of 12 teams which are split across the entire Virunga area specifically Volcanoes National park and Virunga National Park. There are more habituated gorilla families open for gorilla tracking in Volcanoes national park than those in Virunga National park, and yet gorilla census involves both habituated and non-habituated gorilla families.
Each team of the gorilla counting consists of six participants who camp out and comb the forest twice on predetermined routes in search of gorilla nests and collecting and preserving gorilla fecal samples and recording information. It is this method that is used to acquire the most accurate results in case any nests are missed on the first sweep.
Gorilla census involves analyzing the lineage, estimated age and gender of the gorilla. The gorilla census in Virunga National park where there is less habituated gorilla families has posed a greater challenge as most of the forest cover is very virgin and has no trails and there are more ants which attack the team during the counting.
The gorilla census in Virunga National park had taken long without being carried out and most of the team are going there for the first time, with Virunga National park having been under prolonged insecurity over the years until 2014 when the rebels were flashed out and peace restored in the area, prompting tourism and gorilla tracking there to resume.
There is expected gorilla increase this time round as more conservation effort has been put in place and there is little poaching going on with the community being sensitized about the plight of the gorillas and the governments improved tourism industry.