Uganda Launches Ever Largest Gorilla Family

Tourism, trade and industry minister Kahinda Otafiire on Thursday launched the tracking of the Nshongi Gorilla group in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The Nshongi gorilla family, believed to be the largest in Uganda, is unique in that it has 34 individuals with three silverbacks. This will go forward to promote uganda tours in the countryOtafiire and Hollywood stars Jason Biggs, Simon Curtis, Nicolas Brendan, Krisy Wu, Eddie Kay Thomas  uganda safaris as well as William Byaruhanga of the Uganda Tourism Board, began tracking the Nshongi group at around 9:00am to symbolise the launch.

They trekked the more than 12km trail until they caught up with the gorillas safaris  after about three hours. “I wanted to stop due to the long journey but after seeing them, everything was different,” said Biggs.

The Nshongi family is the newest group to be habituated in Bwindi. There are six habituated gorilla families, including Nkuringo and Mabaale.

According to Moses Mapesa, the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) Executive Director, the launch of the Nshongi group was in line with the grand launch of the “Friend-a-Gorilla campaign.”

The campaign, Mapesa said, would be based on mountain gorillas  safaris as Uganda’s flagship tourism attraction.

“It is expected to raise about $100m through the internet and other forms of sponsorships for wildlife conservation,” he noted.

He explained that the campaign would also provide an opportunity for Ugandans and the international community to befriend a gorilla through internet-based social networks such as Facebook, Twitter and MySpace.

Strategically placed cameras in the forest will stream video footage of gorillas to audiences worldwide.
Gorillas in Uganda are confined to Bwindi and Mgahinga parks. There are about 340 mountain gorillas in the Bwindi, of the remaining 720 wordwide.

Gorilla tourism raised $225m in Uganda last year, providing 37% of Uganda’s annual earnings from tourism, and more than half of the wildlife authority’s internally generated revenue.