Africa is a very big and beautiful continent comprising of many countries from the North to the South then East to the West. The continent is very blessed and rich with mysterious destinations that leave every traveler thirsting for more opportunity to transfer to encounter and experience the wonders of the universe. There are very many attractive destinations in Africa but we are mainly looking at the lovely primates the continent has to offer like the chimpanzees, Mountain Gorillas, Lowland Gorillas, Golden Monkeys, Baboon, Black & White Colobus Monkeys, blue monkeys, Lhoest Monkeys and these are prominent in the tropics inhabiting the thick rain forests where they have stayed and lived as mammals.
Start planning for gorilla safaris to enjoy viewing the primates in all African national parks that are known to be the home to the mountain gorillas & Lowland Gorillas. various tour Operators are offering Gorilla Trekking adventures .
The Endangered Gorillas
Gorillas refer to big apes that inhabit the thick tropical rain forests in Africa as well as the lowland swamps and Mashes and are found in the central West African countries, Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. These move on their four limbs i.e hands and legs in search for fruits, vegetables, shoots, roots, vines, small insects due to the fact that they are vegetarians.
These live in groups of 6-12 members with an adult male with silver hair at the back referred to as the dominant silverback and the leader of the group. He makes decisions on where to eat, when to sleep, which group to attack etc and his orders are final and have to be followed for he has to defend his family. He is followed by adult females who produce the young ones and later come in the black backs which are both female and males which tend to leave the group when they grow older and these are followed by juveniles/infant Gorillas.
They are known to be shy animals though very active during day and when night falls, they build their nests out of leaves and plant material where they sleep and adult mothers sleep with their infants. They are also very vulnerable to human diseases like whooping cough, flu/ colds, diarrhea etc. People who are sick are advised to cancel trekking these primates or don’t get closer for this has led to massive deaths of some due to catching illnesses from humans.
In Uganda, these can be spotted in Bwindi Forest and Mgahinga National Park where as in Rwanda these can be spotted in the prominent Volcanoes National park and in the Democratic Republic of Congo they are found in Virunga National Park and the Kauzi Biege National Park. These include Mountain Gorillas, Eastern Lowland Gorillas, West Lowland Gorillas and the Cross river Gorillas.
The Mountain Gorillas
These inhabit the thick tropical rainforests as well as Mountainous areas and are distributed in various areas. In Uganda they are found in the thick tropical rainforests of the magnificent Bwindi Impenetrable National park where you will find 12 Gorilla families allocated in four different sectors which include
Buhoma with the Mubare, Habinyanja and Rushegura Gorilla groups,
Ruhija with Nshongi, Mishaya, Busigye, Kahungye and Bweza Gorilla groups, Rushaga with Bitukura, Oruzogo and Kyagurilo Gorilla groups, Nkuringo with the challenging Gorilla group which is difficult totrack due to its constant movement in the hilly areas. There is also the Nyakagezi Gorilla group at Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. At Bwindi two Gorilla groups are being habituated though not yet opened for tracking and these include the Bushasho and Bikingyi Gorilla groups. In Rwanda, 10 Gorilla groups which include the Susa, Karisimbi, Agashya, Umubana, Ugenda, Kwitonda, Sabinyo, Hirwa, Amahoro, Bwenge can be tracked at Volcanoes National Park. In DR Congo these can be tracked at Virunga National Park which include 6 Groups i.e Kabirizi, Humba, Rugendo, Lulengo, Muyanga and Mapuwa.
The Eastern Lowland Gorillas
The eastern lowland gorilla also called the Grauer’s gorilla (Gorilla beringei graueri) is a subspecies of the Eastern gorilla endemic to the mountainous forests of the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Big populations of this Gorilla inhabit Kahuzi-Biega and Maiko National Parks as well as their nearby forests like the Usala, Tayna Gorilla Reserve and along the Itombwe Massif. The Eastern Lowland Gorilla is larger than all the four subspecies with jet black coats just like those on Mountain Gorillas despite the fact that their hair is shorter on the head and body. Just like other Gorillas when the silverback grows mature, its back turns into silver. In 2004, about 5,000 Eastern Lowland Gorillas were estimated to have been in the wild.
The Western Lowland Gorillas
Unlike the Eastern Lowland Gorilla, the western lowland gorilla is the smallest subspecies among the Gorillas and has extraordinary strength as well as size. They display distinct sexual dimorphism with no tails and jet black skin with rough black hair that covers their whole body except for the ears, face, hands and feet. The hair along the back and rump of males is grey in color and this usually disappears as they mature. These are referred to as silverbacks hence the leaders of the group. They have relatively large hands & thumbs with nails on all digits just like those of humans. They have short muzzles, a major brow ridge, big nostrils and candid eyes and ears, wide strong teeth and large muscles in the jaw area. Western gorillas normally stand upright walking in a bent quadrupedal way with their hands twisted and knuckles touching the ground a movement style that requires long arms which applies to the western gorillas because of the fact that their arms are larger than the standing height. These are very many as compared to the Eastern Lowland Gorillas.
Mating Period
Mate throughout the year.
Gestation period; 8.5 months and only one baby is produced very helpless since they weigh 3-4 Ibs learning to crawl at 2 months under their mothers care for about three years. At 8 and 9 months, they can walk around.
Gorilla Threats
The threats to these primates are habitat loss due to massive population who encroach on the forests for settlement hence increased poaching for bush meat which has led to their depopulation since many have fallen victims. Another threat is climate changes that also affect their habitats.