Mountain Gorillas-Africa Safari Tours & Adventure.
The mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei) is one of the two subspecies of the eastern gorilla. There are two populations. One is found in the Virunga volcanic mountains of Central Africa, within three National Parks: Mgahinga, in south-west Uganda; Volcanoes, in north-west Rwanda; and Virunga in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). It is listed as critically endangered by the IUCN. The other is found in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Some primatologists speculate the Bwindi population in Uganda is a separate subspecies, though no description has been finalized.
Gorillas display uncanny human characteristics. The close-knit family groups are headed by a silverback – a mature male – who selects places for the group to eat and sleep, and has many privileges, including the right to feed first. This privilege pays off for the rest of the family, as if the group is threatened, the silverback – weighing up to 120kg (260lbs) – will defend them to the death, if necessary.
Life Style of the Gorillas
Size of the Mountain Gorillas:
Male mountain gorillas reach an average of 6 feet tall (when standing upright) and weigh 400 to 500 pounds, making them the largest of the great apes (chimpanzees, orangutans, and gorillas). Females are smaller, standing an average of 4 to 5 feet tall and weighing 150 to 200 pounds.
Food of Gorillas
Mountain gorillas eat large amounts of vegetation and spend about 30 percent of each day foraging for food. They
consume roots, leaves, stems of herbs, vines, bark from trees, shrub-sized plants, and bamboo shoots.
Behavior of the Mountain Gorillas
Gorilla Trekking Tours to Congo
Eastern Lowland gorillas are different from their more famous mountain gorilla cousins, which are found in Rwanda, Uganda and Congo. Physically, they are smaller and less furry, the silverback males have much more ‘silver’ on their backs, and they are more adept tree climbers. They also live in family groups with a single dominant male, and females may leave the group if they think the male has lost his edge as protector and provider – theses ladies are not easy to please, not even when the average silverback sports 200kg of pure muscle!
The gorillas are critically endangered, the net result of decades of the bush meat trade, trophy hunting, loss of habitat and catching deadly viruses from human contact. Gorillas have no immunity to many of our common ailments but are just as – or even more – susceptible as we are. The common cold and its symptoms are likely to be terminal for a wild animal – being unable to smell danger or react to it quickly, not feeding properly and becoming weakened by fever all adds up to a very vulnerable gorilla. Tragically, catching a cold from a human can wipe out a whole gorilla family, which makes the precautions you take when trekking to see these gorillas that much more essential.
After the decision that was taken by Rwanda development board to increase the costs of the gorilla permit from $$750 to $1500 gave chance to democratic republic of congo to start selling their gorilla tours to various travelers that wish to go gorilla trekking in the wilderness of par de virunga to encounter the mountain gorillas at the most discounted prices of gorilla permits at USD 400 per pax per visit.
In the entire Africa, mountain gorilla trekking is only done in Uganda, Rwanda and Democratic republic of congo , yet when it comes to the eastern lowland gorillas, they are only found in congo thus all gorilla trekking tours have to lead you to virunga the africa’s oldest national park found in the virunga mountains with the combination of climbing the nyiragongo volcano.
Booking a gorilla trekking safari to democratic republic of congo is recommended to be done through the reliable congo safari companies that are listed on this guide of virunga national park and the shortest gorilla safari can be 2 Day congo gorilla tour.
Your guide keeps a minimum distance of about seven metres (22 feet) between you and the gorillas, you wear a face mask to reduce the spread of any airborne germs, and you cannot trek if you are in any way ill – no matter how mild the symptoms may be for you, they could be deadly to the gorillas.
Mountain Gorilla Orphanage Centre
There is also Senkwekwe Gorilla orphanage centre that inhabits orphaned gorillas and has stood out as the only facility in the world that takes care of these endangered orphaned species.
Eastern Lowland Gorillas in Kahuzi Biega
Eastern low land Gorillas are situated in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo ( Kahuzi Biega National park and Maiko National Parks) where as Mountain Gorillas stay in the Virunga Mountain region spanning the DRC, Rwanda Ugandan borders and also taking part of Bwindi. This makes it a fact that mountain Gorillas can only be watched or visited in only three Countries and that’s Most of the Safaris to those nations have a safari activity called what is Gorilla Trekking or Gorilla Encounter.
In Congo there are two types of gorillas and these are the Eastern low land gorillas that are tracked and habituated in Kahuzi Biega National Park in the Southern part of Lake Kivu, The conservation project for the lowland Gorillas is called Grace Gorilla that is situated in Bukavu town, This National Park can be Accessed via Rwanda through the drive to nyungwe forest or via Gisenyi on Boat.