COVID-19: A new protocol to safeguard Uganda’s gorillas has been released.

New recommendations have been agreed by conservation organizations and the governments of Uganda and Rwanda to safeguard mountain gorillas from the Covid-19 Virus.

Updated gorilla trekking standards have been established under the guidance of the International Gorilla Conservation Program and Gorilla Friendly to ensure minimal contact between the big apes and visitors who may be disease carriers.

Before Covid-19, I went gorilla trekking.

The Covid-19 outbreak has impacted gorilla trekking in a number of ways. Before the pandemic, a large number of tourists visited Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, which are the only places in the Pearl of Africa where endangered mountain gorillas may be found.

 

With the outbreak of COVID-19 in March 2020, Uganda decided to close all of its national parks and put a halt to primate tourism for fear of the novel virus spreading from humans to great apes. During that period, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park experienced its highest baby boom in just seven months.

Strict Standard Operating Procedures had to be implemented when the gorilla parks were reopened.

“Because gorilla tourism is one of the key sources of gorilla conservation monies,” Bwindi officials stated in a statement, “it is critical to conduct tourism in a thoughtful and sustainable manner that ensures the protection of the gorillas.”

A face mask was not required to hike with the gorillas, and face masks were only required in Virunga national park before the pandemic.

Because gorillas and humans share 98 percent of their DNA, the old gorilla trekking regulations forbade anyone with flu or cough symptoms from approaching the animals. This means that the same sickness that affects people affects gorillas as well.

They also prohibited smoking, eating, or drinking in the company of mountain gorillas, and visitors were required to keep a 7-meter space between themselves and the gorillas.

“However, the gorillas occasionally disregarded this norm. The gorilla trekkers were always advised to sit quietly until the gorilla moved on in this situation. This was fairly usual among the small gorillas, who are highly lively,” according to a Bwindi statement.

New Protocols for Gorilla Trekking

In addition to current gorilla trekking standards, the International Gorilla Conservation Program (IGCP) has developed a set of measures to guarantee that infections such as Covid-19 and other infectious diseases are avoided.

They are as follows:

Visitors will sign a Gorilla Friendly Pledge to guarantee that they follow the gorilla trekking protocol. This is done as a sign of commitment to the gorilla’s long-term survival.
Prior to the gorilla trek, visitors must undertake a test for fever (“temperature scanning”) or signs of disease like as cough and flu. If you are discovered to be ineligible for the walk, the parks normally have refund procedures that you should research before scheduling your gorilla trek.
During their gorilla walk in any gorilla national park, every tourist is required to wear a face mask.
Are Gorillas in Peril?

Travelers who want to resume their gorilla trekking safaris in Uganda, Rwanda, and Congo frequently ask this question. The gorillas, according to Makonzi Michael Kiwanuka of Go Gorilla Trekking, one of the country’s major gorilla safari outfitters, are exceedingly secure!

“Tourists who have resumed their travels have embraced the new protocol as well as the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) adopted by Uganda and Rwanda when reopening the primate parks,” Kiwanuka said.

He goes on to say that visitors planning to go gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park will be able to take rapid tests. Testing is available in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park, at Musanze, the park’s closest town. All of this is done to secure the safety of mountain gorillas.

Wildlife conservation is aided by gorilla tourism.

Gorilla Safaris are a key tourist attraction for a large number of visitors visiting East Africa. Most tourists who visit well-known destinations such as Tanzania and Kenya combine safaris with gorilla trekking in Uganda and Rwanda. Tourists visit Virunga National Park and KahuziBiega National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo to see gorillas.

The proceeds from gorilla tourism are used to support gorilla conservation. Gorilla-based research, which is carried out in collaboration with a number of foreign universities and students from all over the world, is an important aspect of the conservation effort.

Locals who were opposed to the formation of gorilla national parks have welcomed gorilla tourism to the point where poaching has decreased.

Direct money from the sale of souvenirs, service providers such as local tour operators, guides, and porters, and rising community-based development initiatives such as the Bwindi Hospital are just a few of the benefits derived from tourism. A number of locals now run safari lodges where visitors can stay.

Gorilla Conservation’s Success Story

Few conservation schemes have been identified as successful, and gorilla tourism is one of them. Mountain gorillas were thought to be extinct at one time. The good news is that mountain gorilla populations are increasing, and these magnificent creatures have been removed from the IUCN’s Critically Endangered Species list.

In the 1980s, there were just 240 mountain gorillas. There were just 1069 mountain gorillas left in the world as of late 2018. These colossal apes wander the Virunga Mountains, which are shared by Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Uganda’s magnificent pearl of Africa.

Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park has also had a tremendous deal of success. The park has been enlarged twice in the last three years to provide a safe haven for mountain gorillas.

The park’s limits were first enlarged in 2018, and the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) has chosen to expand it by another 40 square miles this year. This is fantastic news for both environmentalists and tourism.