African
Great Apes –endangered species
The African gorilla is classified into
three subspecies, all endangered, based
on differences in their size, physical
features, and location. Around 40,000
western lowland gorillas live in the forests
of equatorial West Africa. Far fewer in
number, between 2,500 and 4,500 eastern
lowland gorillas live in the eastern forests
of the Congo (DRC). By far the highest
on the list of endangered species, mountain
gorillas number only around 600 in the
wild, living in eastern Central Africa.
The other
African great apes on the endangered
list are chimpanzees and bonobos (“pygmy
chimpanzees”).
Mountain
Gorillas of Uganda
Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National
Park covers an area of 32,000 hectares
(125 sq. miles) in southwestern Uganda
and is a densely forested region of
steep hills and narrow valleys. This
region of dense jungle has an extremely
high biodiversity with over 160 species
of tree, 100 species of fern and is
home to over half of the last surviving
mountain gorillas in Africa. The Park
has been proclaimed a UNESCO World Heritage
Site, offering maximum protection to
the occupants and environment.
Bwindi’s population
of 320 gorillas is mostly completely
wild, with only 57 habituated to humans.
To ensure minimal disruption to both
gorillas and environment, a restriction
of only 6 visitors per day is imposed
on tracking the habituated gorillas.
Visitors are further restricted in the
time spent with the gorillas to only
1 hour per day. This necessitates the
sale of permits to regulate the numbers
of visitors.
Tracking the gorillas
is a strenuous but exciting experience.
They live in mountainous jungle covered
terrain, often steeper than a flight
of stairs. Tracking will start early
in the day with a strenuous hike through
the forest to where the gorillas had
been spotted the day before. The gorilla
groups cover large distances each day
and the jungle hike can vary from a
few hours to eight hours a day. Once
found, time spent observing them as
they cavort, play, groom and curiously
gaze back, is limited before returning
to camp. Strict rules protect the gorillas
and any sick visitor will not be permitted
to participate in tracking them, since
even a common cold can endanger a gorilla’s
survival.
Gorilla tracking
is not the only eco tour activity available
at Bwindi and hikes offer up a number
of surprises, depending on the route
chosen by your guide. The area around
Buhoma is very good for bird watching
and for spotting mischievous and often
noisy chimpanzees. A diverse eco system
of mammals, including forest elephants,
birds (including African grey parrots)
and butterflies brings the forest to
life.
Chimpanzees
and other primates of Uganda
The equatorial rain forest known as
Kibale Forest National Park in Uganda
can with confidence claim to have the
highest primate density in the world.
It is home to 12 different species who
share the forest with hundreds of bird
species and 144 butterfly species.
Amongst others,
the black and white and red colobus,
l’hoest’s monkeys, bush
babies and galagos monkeys can be seen
swinging through the trees; however
the main attraction is undoubtedly the
500 plus strong population of chimpanzees
often found on fig trees feasting on
the sweet fruit. Forest walks guided
and led by expert rangers seek out the
whereabouts of the chimps that have
become quite accustomed to humans, having
been slowly habituated since 1992.
Gombe National
Park, Tanzania
Made famous by the conservation efforts
of Dr. Jane Goodall, Gombe National
Park is located on the eastern shore
of Lake Tanganyika and is only accessible
by boat. It is the smallest of Tanzania’s
national parks. Although most of the
research and conservation was directed
at the chimps, baboons and monkeys are
also found here. Gombe was established
to protect the primates that inhabit
the Mahale Mountains. With no electricity,
roads or telephones, Gombe is truly
a natural sanctuary for the chimpanzees,
monkeys and baboons that call this mountain
park their home. Baboons are often seen
playing in the water of Lake Tanganyika,
even sometimes submerging themselves
completely in the water.
May through October provide the best
times for forest walks whilst March
through May are rainy and wet making
the forest very slippery and not easily
accessed.
Mahale National
Park, Tanzania
South of Gombe is the remote Mahale
National Park, accessible by boat since
there are no roads. All exploring from
the camp is done on foot. Adventure
activities here include snorkeling and
dhow trips on Lake Tanganyika but the
most exciting is to track the habituated
groups amongst the almost 2,000 chimpanzee
residents of this sanctuary. It is one
of the best places in Africa to view
these primates.
In the 1960’s
a group of chimpanzees were slowly habituated
by researches from the University of
Kyoto in Japan. This group of chimpanzees
is known as the “M” group
and formed part of the longest running
chimpanzee study in the world. Today
it is possible to get close enough to
watch them play, forage, hunt and interact.
Locating the chimps is dependent on
the skill of the local Tongwe guides,
with their intimate knowledge of the
chimpanzees and the forest. Walks can
take from less than an hour, if the
chimpanzees are near the water of Lake
Tanganyika, to a full day’s excursion
if they are on the inland ridges.
Chimpanzee and gorilla
tracking is a strenuous but very rewarding
eco adventure activity. Note these are
wild primates and sightings are not
guaranteed on a daily basis since they
move constantly in search of food and
shelter and are much faster in the forest
than us humans. For both gorilla and
chimpanzee tracking, a 3 day stay is
therefore advisable, to increase the
probability of catching up with the
Great Apes for an unforgettable day
in the forests of Africa.
Please note that
Great Ape tracking is unsuited to children.
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