In Uganda there were five births of this species in just six weeks, which is very unusual. According to the authorities, these births are part of a gorilla baby boom that has been going on since April. Efforts to conserve their ecosystems are beginning to pay off.
At least five mountain gorillas have been born in the last six weeks in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park in southwestern Uganda, Ugandan authorities report Tuesday, a discovery that conservation experts welcomed with glee. (Read New species of frog found in former zone of armed groups)
“This is very hopeful news in the middle of a difficult time, since, with the fall in tourism due to COVID-19, many Ugandans have lost their livelihoods and poaching has increased,” Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka told EFEverde, veterinarian and founder of the organization Conservation Through Public Health (CTPH).
For the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), these births are part of a gorilla baby boom that rangers in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park have been recording since late April.
Mountain gorillas are an endemic species to the mountain range that marks the borders of Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The populations of these primates increased during the last decades thanks to the efforts of the environmental authorities of the three countries, some non-governmental organizations and the rangers.
According to the latest census, published at the end of 2019, there are currently more than 1,060 specimens of mountain gorillas.
“At present, mountain gorillas are the only great apes whose populations are increasing,” Jordi Galbany, a primatologist and associate professor at the University of Barcelona (Spain), who works with these primates on the border between Rwanda and Uganda.
“However, we cannot fall asleep, we must remain vigilant because mountain gorilla populations are still small and very localized,” Galbany advised.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), mountain gorillas remain in danger of extinction due to respiratory diseases, poaching – sometimes these apes fall into the traps that hunters set to capture others animals- and climate changes.
But after decades of intense deforestation across East Africa – according to Ugandan authorities, this nation has lost 67 percent of its forests since the 1990s – its main threat is the reduction of its habitat.
“With only a handful of suitable forests left for this species, the number of mountain gorillas will not be able to grow much higher. “No one knows when gorilla populations will reach that limit. But we believe that, in the case of Uganda, that will happen shortly, ”Galbany said.
“Even so,” added the expert, “I think we must celebrate the last births as another victory to preserve the future of the species. This is very positive news. Thanks to these offspring, the genetic variety of future populations will be much more varied and promising ”.
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