Mountain Gorilla


Put them in the Ground and Let them Grow: Bwindi Tree Network Project

When traveling on the roads of Rubanda district, Uganda, you see pine trees everywhere: tall ones, short ones, big ones, small ones. Some trees may be…

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Dear Relatives

Are the Virunga Mountain Gorillas' closest relatives the Bwindi Mountain Gorillas?

Gorillas are subdivided into two species and four subspecies. In…

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The impact of Tourist Visits on Mountain Gorilla Behaviour and Social Cohesion

Gorilla tourism has played a pivotal role in not only fostering the recovery of the endangered mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei) but also…

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Life History Patterns of Female Gorillas

The concept of net energy balance is familiar to all of us: we eat too many calories and we gain weight; we exercise a lot without changing caloric…

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Mountain Gorilla Population Growth

New research from the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund analyses more than 50 years of demographic data to examine factors influencing variability in the…

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Are Mountain Gorillas still "Wild"?

Everywhere in Africa human influence on gorillas and their habitats has become common. Interventions are severe everywhere, not only by deforestation,…

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The Beekeeping Project in Sarambwe Nature Reserve

Support for this project was requested because of strong demand from the local population of Rutshuru and Nyiragongo and the city of Goma, due to a…

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As Temperatures Increase, Mountain Gorillas get Thirstier

Climate change is in the media on a daily basis, but the focus is often on arid ecosystems, while we rarely think about its impact on animals living…

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Support for Communities

We have already supported many projects, which have turned out to be very successful, for the people of Mt. Tshiaberimu. Other communities around the…

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Electric Fence Reduces Human-Wildlife Conflict

"For the past ten years, we had given up on planting maize. Buffalos could raid our farms a few weeks to harvesting and we could make immense losses.…

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The COVID-19 Pandemic and Mountain Gorilla Health

Respiratory illness outbreaks among wild mountain gorillas in Volcanoes National Park have declined since the start of COVID-19, according to a…

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Dangerous Selfies with Gorillas

Visiting mountain gorillas is popular, and many of the visitors proudly present proof of their gorilla trekking in social media. However, to obtain…

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10 October 2021

A Year of Protection of the Sarambwe Nature Reserve by Trackers Unsupported by Rangers: Results and Lessons Learnt

The protection of protected areas…

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Sarambwe: A Year without Rangers – but not without Protection!

On 10 October 2020, a ranger was killed during an attack on the Sarambwe ranger post – we reported it at the time. The national park authority ICCN…

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Why Rangers in the Virunga National Park Are Under Attack

Another Attack on Rangers in the Virunga National Park

On 10 January 2021, 6 rangers lost their lives in an attack by armed…

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Restoration of Sarambwe Ranger Post and Current Activities

The Sarambwe ranger post was attacked during the evening of 10 October 2020 by a Mai Mai group operating in the vicinity of Sarambwe. A few days…

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Gorilla Baby Boom in Bwindi?

In 2020, many gorillas were born within the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park's gorilla population; an exceptional number of 6 gorillas within 7 weeks…

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Strengthened Human-Wildlife Conflict Measures Restore Hope in the Virungas

Regardless of the scotching sun and laborious work, a delighted face is the perfect description of Jean Bosco Ntawukibiwabo, as he works on a 3 m deep…

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Motherless Gorillas Beat the Odds

Researchers at the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund have used more than 50 years of data from Rwanda to discover how maternal loss influences young gorillas'…

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Increased Gorilla Density May Lead to Increased Aggression

The number of mountain gorillas on the Virunga Volcanoes has increased continuously for four decades now, as was shown during the last censuses. The…

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COVID-19 Pandemic Cripples Community Livelihoods

For many households around mountain gorilla parks, tourism has been their lifeline. That is until the COVID-19 pandemic affected the tourism industry…

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Why Are We Still Studying Gorillas? The Value of Long-Term Research of Bwindi Gorillas

A few years ago, when I was well into my now 30-year career studying gorillas, my father asked me, 'Don't we know enough about gorillas by now?'…

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Mitigating the Impact of COVID-19 on Gorillas at Bwindi

We founded Conservation Through Public Health (CTPH) in 2003 to prevent zoonotic diseases being transmitted between people and wildlife following…

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Deadly Attack on the Sarambwe Ranger Post (closed)

In this article we will give an overview of the management of Sarambwe Nature Reserve (SNR) and a history of the attacks that have taken place in the…

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SaveBwindi

[Translate to Englisch:]

When Astrid Ebert and Thomas Schulz visited Bwindi National Park and its gorillas 10 years ago, they were delighted. In view of the Corona pandemic…

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A Tragedy in Bwindi

The silverback Rafiki was killed in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, presumably by poachers. Rafiki was a member of the mountain gorilla group…

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Essential Components of the Mountain Gorilla Success Story

Over the past five years the conservation community has successfully completed what, to date, have been the most intensive and comprehensive…

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1,063 Mountain Gorillas - What Does this Number Mean?

My entire childhood was spent in the south of France, on a hill between an evergreen oak forest and the garrigue. Our family had a lot of cats, who…

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The Sarambwe Nature Reserve after the Demarcation of the International Border

In our last article (Gorilla Journal 58) we wrote about our hope that the encroachment of the Sarambwe Nature Reserve (SNR) by Ugandan farmers in…

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Communities in Sarambwe

It is not easy to convince the local population of the benefits of nature conservation if the living conditions are as difficult as they are in the…

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Population of Bwindi Gorillas Increases to 459 Animals

Taking into account the latest census from Bwindi-Sarambwe, and including the figures for Virunga gorillas from the 2015-2016 census, the global total…

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End in Sight for the Conflict over the Sarambwe Nature Reserve

The Sarambwe Nature Reserve is well known for its location on the border between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, and its contiguity…

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GRASP & IUCN Great Apes Status Report 2018: Summary

Great ape populations in Africa and Asia are severely threatened by the combined impacts of habitat loss, poaching, illegal trade, and disease. Since…

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The Impact of Neighbours on Bwindi Gorillas' Spacing Patterns

Finding food and mates is vital for all animals, so that they can grow, maintain metabolic functions, and reproduce. The way animals use their…

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Memories - Working with Two Mountain Gorillas in the Cologne Zoo

Brian Batstone with Coco

The two mountain gorillas from the Virunga Mountains in Rwanda, Coco and Pucker, arrived in the Cologne Zoo in May 1969. At that time it was a very…

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Being a Good Guest - A Guide for Tourists Visiting Gorillas

Tourists with Mukiza, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (© Martha Robbins)

As with many types of wildlife tourism, viewing gorillas has grown in popularity since the 1980s. Currently tourists can visit more than 20 gorilla…

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Number of Virunga Gorillas Increased again!

In 2015 to 2016 another gorilla census was conducted in the Virunga Volcanoes - and as the censuses before, the result was very positive again. It…

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Tribute to Kanyonyi

It is with great sadness to inform you about the loss of one of my favorite gorillas in Bwindi, Kanyonyi, the lead silverback of Mubare group. He died…

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A One Health Approach to Gorilla Conservation

"One Health" is an approach that addresses human, animal and ecosystem health together. We founded Conservation Through Public Health (CTPH) in 2003…

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DFGF Celebrates 50 Years of Karisoke

It is 50 years now that Dian Fossey established the Karisoke Research Center to study the little known mountain gorillas in the Volcanoes National…

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Can Micro-Projects Promote Conservation?

The Sarambwe Reserve and Mount Tshiaberimu are two refuges for gorillas near the central and northern part of the Virunga National Park, conserving…

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Conservation and Sensitization Activities at Sarambwe Reserve: April 2016 to March 2017

In the Sarambwe Reserve, conservation and sensitization activities have been carried out mainly by the trackers and the troops based in Sarambwe (a…

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The Virunga Communications Post Installation

Security problems in the Virunga National Park, Democratic Republic of the Congo, have been a severe danger for the park's wildlife and its forests,…

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Development Activities in the Vicinity of the Sarambwe Reserve

Located close to Virunga National Park, the Sarambwe Reserve and Mount Tshiaberimu are two threatened sites where gorillas still occur. As ecotourism…

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Bwindi Apes Conservation Education Partnership

The Bwindi Apes Conservation Education Partnership (BACEP) is a collaborative project of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology…

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Feeding Competition in Female Bwindi Mountain Gorillas

All animals - including humans - must eat to survive. The energy derived from food is necessary to sustain basic metabolic and muscle functions,…

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The Sarambwe Reserve: Current Developments and Threats

This article documents activities implemented in the Sarambwe Reserve and the almost continuous threats to the conservation of the reserve. It is…

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Ranging on Community Land and Crop-Raiding by Bwindi Gorillas

Getting ready to start the vegetation sampling outside Bwindi with the vegetation team (Philemon Tumwesigye, Christopher Byaruhanga, Emmanuel Tibenda and Nicole Seiler) (© Nicole Seiler)

Conflict between people and animals is one of the main threats to the continued survival of many wildlife species and also represents risks to local…

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Rukina - Life Summary

[Translate to EN:] Der Silberrückenmann Rukina, der die Kyagurilo-Gruppe in Bwindi geleitet hat, ist gestorben. (© Martha M. Robbins/MPI-EVAN)

We estimate that Rukina was born around 1984. He was well identified as a group member of the Kyagurilo Group in the late 1990s when he was a young…

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Gorilla Group Formation and Dynamics

Gorillas spend the major part of their life in small social groups led by a mature silverback male. Only young blackback males and mature silverback…

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