Gorilla Numbers Rising in spite of War in Great Lakes Region

The number of gorillas in the Virunga chain of volcanoes, which straddle Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has increased from 320 to 355 since 1989, Director of National Parks in the Rwanda Wildlife Authority Jean Bizimana told Rwanda News Agency on Wednesday.

"The population of the World's largest group of mountain gorillas has grown in the last decade despite armed conflicts threatening the endangered primates in particularly Rwanda and Africa's Great Lakes region as a whole," Bizimana said.

"The number of the gorillas would have been more if there was no any encroachment at the national park," he indicated.

The Virunga group of primates represents more than half the total world population of mountain gorillas.

"The only sizable group, numbering about 300 gorillas, is found in the Bwindi National Park in Uganda," Bizimana highlighted.

The Virunga area is used as a transit corridor and a rear base for armed groups in the conflict taking place in the DRC. "Recent data shows that the population has been increasing slowly despite war and conflict in the region," added Bizimana.

The Rwanda Wildlife Authority revealed that the people have encroached on more than 60 percent of the total area occupied by the gorillas.

"In 1989, the total area was 34,000 hectares compared to today' s 12,000 hectares," Bizimana underscored, adding that this has got a direct impact on the death of the young gorillas due to the intense coldness they are subject to up on the peak of the mountain.

The Virunga volcano range, the habitat of one of the two groups of mountain gorillas, has been center of the fighting.

"There is a future for both people and wildlife, when people work together despite political differences," she said. About 20 gorillas have been killed as a direct consequence of war, according to conservation groups.

Conservation groups estimate that there are approximately 650 mountain gorillas in the world, all found in the Great Lakes region.






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