By Gerald Tenywa

GORILLAS in Mgahinga National Park in southwestern Uganda are playing hide-and-seek with Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) officials after their return from Rwanda.

The Nyakagezi group of gorillas, which had stayed in Rwanda for over a year, were seen about 10 days ago by UWA officials but they disappeared.

Lillian Nsubuga, UWA’s spokesperson, said, “It is exciting to have them back and a team of UWA officials has been following them ever since they entered Uganda.’’

The Nyakagezi group is one of the habituated groups, which are at the centre of the country’s eco-tourism that started in the early 1990s.
Habituation is a delicate process through which gorillas get used to human presence without losing their wild character.

There is plenty of bamboo, which the gorillas prefer eating and it is unlikely that they went back to Rwanda, she said.
Nsubuga said the gorillas appeared calm until a group of elephants moved into the area where the gorillas were staying, probably scaring them away.

Gorillas make nests where they sleep every night, giving people monitoring them a clue on the areas they are likely to be occupying.

There is a global population of only 760 endangered gorillas and more than half of them live in Uganda’s Bwindi impenetrable national park.

The remaining population roam the Virugas, which straddles Uganda, Rwanda and the DR Congo.
Gorillas eat bamboo and leaves and they have been elusive in Mgahinga as they move according to seasons.