How Does Gorilla Trekking Benefit the Gorillas? | Gorilla Safari Destinations
How does gorilla trekking benefit the gorillas? Gorilla trekking is the best way to see gorillas in their natural habitats, and it has greatly contributed to the safety and well-being of the remaining gorillas in the world.
An activity that pushes a visitor to buy a gorilla permit in the matter of participating in a trek and pays the money to the government body that is responsible for the protection of the park, through paying the park authorities trekking excursions, contributes to gorilla conservation by helping to fund the management of the reserve, the monitoring of the mountain gorillas and the salaries of rangers patrolling the forests to protect the mountain gorillas from being poached.
Whatever support you give to the local communities around during your safari stay in local lodges, hire a local operator, participate in local activities and eat in local establishments; just know you’re creating healthier communities in and around the national parks that provide a safe paradise for the mountain gorillas in East Africa’s rainforest and Virunga Mountains.
That is, gorilla trekking in Uganda can be done in two popular parks: Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, both located in the southwestern Uganda region, as well as Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Volcanoes National Park.
The more tourists flock to the park for gorilla trekking, the more they benefit the gorillas, because tourists cannot participate in this activity without paying for a permit. The money paid is used to reserve the conservation forest, which is home to resident mountain gorillas.
Moreover, the same amount is used to pay for the researchers, doctors, and scientists who usually visit to check on their immunity and vaccinate suspected sick gorillas, so as not to affect other healthy gorillas.
More benefits of gorilla trekking tourism to Uganda, Rwanda and Congo
The money paid for gorilla trekking permits helps to provide safety for the endangered mountain gorillas, thus increasing revenue collected by the governing body of those recognized counties. Like Uganda, the UWA (Uganda Wildlife Authority) collects revenue by selling gorilla permits to visitors.
The park community uses the revenue collected to develop its welfare and pay park rangers. In other words, gorilla tourism has also helped in the provision of jobs to the tour guides, safari trackers, and gorilla lodge and hotel attendants, among many more.
Employment and Revenue: Gorilla tourism has helped to develop into the main center for employment of the local community. Ecotourism has also benefited gorilla tourism because the authorities have gazetted all the parks. In so doing, the income generated from gorilla tourism is used to maintain the national parks.
Gorilla tourism also generates local revenue and employment for the local communities; lodging facilities have been built in those national parks and it has created jobs for the local community through selling agricultural products and crafts to tourists on safari.
Stop poaching. Gorilla tourism in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park has helped to stop poaching. Poaching has led to snaring a number of gorillas but they have been rescued by veterinary staff. Note that mountain gorillas have never died out from snaring, as interventions have always been faster for those who accidentally get snared.
The conservation of the gorillas under protection has led to an increase in Uganda’s Bwindi gorillas, with over half of the remaining mountain gorillas in the wild (600 individuals), and 20 habituated gorilla families can be trekked in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, thus becoming a major stopping destination for gorilla trekking/tourism.
Rules and Regulations in Matter of Benefiting Gorillas;
Wash your hands before heading out for mountain gorilla trekking.
If you know you’re sick, do not go out for trekking
Always be a good listener to your guide’s instructions in the forest
Do not eat or smoke before gorillas
Always stay in tight groups.
Keep a distance of about 7 to 8 hours from gorillas.
Do not litter rubbish inside the park; instead, go back with your rubbish.
Always allow the limited hours given to you—”one hour”—to spend with gorillas.
Gorilla trekking is done in a group of eight people.
To know more about trekking respectively and what the experience entails, check out our websites.
