Gorilla Monitoring & Protection Rwanda 2023 at Dian Fossey
Gorilla Monitoring & Protection Rwanda 2023 at Dian Fossey is very exciting to do in Rwanda at Karisoke. Gorilla Monitoring & Protection Rwanda 2023 at Dian Fossey is very exciting and engaging for all travelers from all over the globe.
Description of the Park
This park is located in northern Rwanda. This area is dominated by extinct volcanoes, which are home to unique species: the mountain gorilla, close relative to mankind, which you can discover face to face in Volcanoes National Park. Five imposing mountains rise towards heaven under the thick mantle of mist amid the impressive grandeur of Rwanda’s beautiful landscape. They form a mountain range of gigantic proportions, the highest peak of which, Mount Karisimbi reaches up to height of (4,507 m), Bisoke (3,711m), Sabyinyo (3,634m), Gahinga (3,474m), and Muhabura (4,127m).
Vegetation of the Park
In this region there is a direct relation between altitude and the fauna and the flora. It is therefore not surprising to find a succession of groups of vegetation with well-defined limits, divided into five stages from the lowest the mountain forest to the highest, known as the Afro-Alpine, consisting of groups of evergreen bushes.
But the most interesting stage is undoubtedly that of hagenia (hageniaabyssinica) at between 8,500 and 11,000 feet of altitude. These strange trees are from thirty to sixty feet tall and have a tortuous trunk and low branches covered with a thick coat of lichen which encourages the growth of numerous varieties of orchid.
While the mountain gorilla is the most extraordinary and the most interesting of the fauna of the park, mention should also be made of many other interesting species.
Of these, the forest elephants, smaller than his cousin of the savannah, does not hesitate, in spite of his weight and size, to climb the steep slopes of the volcanoes.
This forest cover is propitious for three species of ungulates-the forest hog (Hylochoerusmeinertzhageni), the yellow-backed duiker and the black-fronted duiker (Cephalophusnigrifous). The last-named little antelope is very common and often visible. Of the other ungulates, the buffalo and the harnessed antelope should be mentioned.
The birds, too, are of particular interest, since some species are very rare and are found only in the high mountainous areas. More than one hundred forty species have been defined, the most spectacular of which are the mountain touracos (Ruwenzornisjohnstoni) and the very fine black partridge (Francolinusnobilis).
Mountain Gorillas in the Park
Mountain gorillas are of impressive dimensions; some males attain over six feet in height and weigh 220 kg. The head is massive and huge jaws are equipped with powerful teeth.
Far from being an aggressive animal, as the legends claim, the gorilla is gentle and peaceful in its habitat.
Mountain gorillas are very sociable animals and form themselves into groups of from three to more than twenty.
Why Gorilla monitoring & Protection Rwanda 2023
Gorillas are beautiful, tough animals. But poaching and habitat demolition have pushed their populations to the brink of extinction in latest decades. With that we knew that gorillas would need our help to survive. Today, the Government of Rwanda is dedicated to continuing and expanding gorilla protection. We protect gorillas and their forests every day, while also helping the people who live near them.
Gorilla monitoring and protection?
Mountain gorillas have been monitored and studied closely since Dian Fossey began her work with them in 1967, after establishing the Karisoke Research Center. She started the process of habituating them to the presence of human eyewitnesses, so that she could closely detect and document their behaviors, status, movements and other important information. Today, Fossey Fund trackers and researchers protect and study roughly half of all the mountain gorillas in Rwanda, with the other half protected by the Rwandan national park authorities (RDB)
How we do monitoring
Each morning, trackers locate their assigned gorilla group by finding where the gorillas built their night nests and then following the trail of crushed vegetation left behind as the group moved away in the morning. After finding the group and recording its location, trackers locate each individual in the group and record information on general appearance and health, and any change in group composition due to births, deaths, immigration or emigration, in order to track the population dynamics. In addition, researchers collect detailed information on behavior for gorilla research database and specific studies.
Gorillas protection
We have dedicated anti-poaching teams, which patrol specific sectors of the gorilla habitat to seek and guard against illegal activities in the forest, especially poacher activity, such as snares set to entrap animals. The snares are intended for antelopes and small game animals, but they can cause serious injury or death to gorillas as well anti-poaching teams also record other illegal activities in the forest, such as wood cutting or water collection. All such information is provided to the Park Authority to be combined with the other anti-poaching data collected throughout the park to determine the best methods for protecting the forest.