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Too many gorillas? The great apes' hunt for space in Rwanda
With hundreds of mountain gorillas in residence, the Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda is a conservation triumph. But this resurgence is not without consequences.
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Mountain gorilla's from the Muhoza family move towards their nest at the Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda, on October 29, 2021. (AFP/Simon Maina)
A
huge male silverback gorilla nibbles on a tasty bamboo shoot before farting loudly, oblivious to his neighbours -- farmers working fertile fields a stone's throw away.
With hundreds of mountain gorillas in residence, the Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda is a conservation triumph. But this resurgence is not without consequences, as the majestic creatures now struggle for space to grow and thrive.
Straddling Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Virunga range includes eight volcanoes in the heart of Africa's densely populated Great Lakes region and is, along with Uganda's Bwindi Forest, the world's only habitat for mountain gorillas.
Officials at the Rwandan park are proud of its success in regenerating the primate population.
"In the census we did in 2010, these mountain gorillas were 880; in 2015 we did another census that showed we have 1,063" in the Virunga massif and the Bwindi park, ranger Felicien Ntezimana told AFP, before leading a hike into the mist-covered forest where the animals live.
Thanks to this revival, the mountain gorilla, known for its thick, shiny fur, is now listed as "endangered" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, while other great apes remain "critically endangered".
The animal has come a long way since the 1980s when decades of poaching caused its population to plunge to just 250 across the Virunga range, and famed American primatologist Dian Fossey was murdered in the Rwandan park allegedly because of her anti-poaching efforts.
