Uganda welcomes another baby gorilla

Uganda on Wednesday, November 11 welcomed a new baby gorilla, according to reports from Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA).

UWA, in a tweet, wrote, "The new baby gorilla was born in Rushegura family, Buhoma, Bwindi Forest. The proud mother is an adult female Munyana who welcomes her second born in the family. The trackers were privileged to sight Munyana grooming the little one.

UWA says that the mountain gorilla is one of two subspecies of the Eastern gorilla. It is listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List, as the total population is estimated to comprise 1,004 individuals in two populations as of 2018. One population lives in Uganda's Bwindi

Impenetrable National Park while the other in the Virunga Mountains in three adjacent national parks, namely Uganda's Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, Rwanda's Volcanoes National Park, and Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Uganda's dense forests are home to over half the world's 1004 or so mountain gorillas (as of May 2018), with the rest living in neighbouring Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Because they do not survive in captivity, preservation of these fragile habitats is essential for their survival.

In Uganda, according to UWA, Mountain Gorillas are found in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (BINP) and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park (MGNP). In these areas, tracking takes place at 5 locations Buhoma, Ruhija, Rushaga, Nkuringo in BINP and Ntebeko in MGNP.

All locations combined give a total of over 18 gorilla groups, however, the permit number is limited, where only eight people are allowed to visit a gorilla family per day for only one hour.