![]() ![]() "Fiddling with a m a s k detracts slightly from the sometimes very moving experience of meeting gorillas in their natural habitat for the first time," Ian admits. Any non-lethal exposure to novel pathogens actually strengthens the immune system." "But keeping them that way also presents a risk, because one day a flu virus will get through and the impact might just be greater. "We must minimise the risk of droplet infection to an immunologically naive population," he tells me. Tropical field biologist, conservationist and gorilla expert Ian Redmond believes the jury is still out. ![]() I hope that they will be approved eventually." "Some sides want masks and some don't, because they feel it would put tourists off. "Wearing masks protects gorillas from human diseases," she explains. ![]() Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka, UW A's first wildlife vet and founder of an NGO called Conservation Through Public Health, sits on the Mask Task Force, a transboundary initiative between the three countries. "We're undertaking research to establish whether they are of human origin." "Recently, respiratory infections have been frequent in Bwindi," Fred tells me. In DR Congo, it is mandatory for tourists to wear face masks when they encounter mountain gorillas, but there are no such requirements in Uganda or Rwanda. A maximum of eight tourists visit each group for one precious hour a day.Īlthough tourism has been a significant factor in gorilla conservation, it also adds to their vulnerability because of their susceptibility to h u m a n infections. Around 400 gorillas now roam Bwindi's rainforest, with 12 of its 36 groups fully habituated for tracking. Kanyonyi's family, the Mubare group, were the first to be habituated to humans in 1993 when mountain gorilla tourism began i Bwindi, a dense forest spanning 321km2 of western Uganda. Mountain gorillas, Gorilla beringei beringei one of the eastern gorilla's two subspecies have an average lifespan of 35 years and live in troops of up to 30 led by a dominant silverback, so-called due to the broad band of hair across their backs denoting sexual maturity. Today they number around 880 (though are still classed as Critically Endangered). Only 250 individuals remained, their rapid decline the result of habitat loss and extensive poaching. In the mid-1980s, renowned primatologist Dian Fossey estimated that Mountain gorillas have become one of Africa's greatest conservation success stories. It's hard to reconcile Kanyonyi the fighter with the calm, seemingly docile, ape that ambles nonchalantly past me - almost close enough to touch. The field vet for the Gorilla Doctors project in Bwindi, Fred has treated this primate Lothario for life-threatening injuries sustained in skirmishes with other silverbacks. ![]() Fred Nizeyimana knows him well, describing him as "young and charismatic, but a daring fighter" who frequently raids other gorilla groups for their females. Kanyonyi, silverback of the Mubare gorilla group in Bwindi National Park, is no exception. Encountering these great apes in their remote rainforest homeland in Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo is perhaps the ultimate wildlife-watching experience. The gaze of their soulful brown eyes sends shivers down your spine. There's nothing quite like the majesty and sheer dignity of mountain gorillas. ![]()
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