DR Congo: Gorilla Population Rises Amid Calls to End Illegal Tracking

The population of mountain gorillas in Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo has risen to 1,063, up from about 300 in 1990, conservation officials have announced. Of these, 459 are found in Uganda's Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, while the others live in Rwanda's Volcanoes National Park and the Democratic Republic of Congo's Virunga National Park. The figures were revealed during Uganda's national World Gorilla Day celebrations held at Ruhija Community Playground in Rubanda District. World Gorilla Day is marked globally every September 24 to promote gorilla conservation. This year's celebrations, hosted under the theme "Securing the Future: Restoring Indigenous Trees, Healthy Gorillas and Resilient Communities," brought together conservationists, government officials, local leaders and communities. Keep up with the latest headlines on WhatsApp | LinkedIn Uganda rotates the national World Gorilla Day event among Rubanda, Kisoro and Kanungu districts. Officials attributed the increase in the gorilla population to habitat protection, regular monitoring, law enforcement and greater involvement of communities living near protected areas. Ruhija Town Council Mayor Geoffrey Tumuhimbise commended communities around Bwindi for embracing conservation and urged the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) to increase support to residents so they can benefit tangibly from protecting wildlife. "Conservation should not only focus on protecting wildlife, but should also consider the welfare and livelihoods of communities living alongside protected areas," Tumuhimbise said. Representing the Minister of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities, Commissioner John Magambo, Tom Butiime welcomed the increase but warned against illegal gorilla tracking in Kigezi, saying it undermines conservation and tourism. "Gorillas are a key tourism asset that boosts national revenue and community incomes. Tracking must follow established guidelines. Some conservation partners use their positions to facilitate irregular tracking," Butiime noted. Read the original article on Nile Post . AllAfrica publishes around 600 reports a day from more than 90 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals , representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica . To address comments or complaints, please Contact us . AllAfrica is a voice of, by and about Africa - aggregating, producing and distributing 600 news and information items daily from over 90 African news organizations and our own reporters to an African and global public. We operate from Cape Town, Dakar, Abuja, Johannesburg, Nairobi and Washington DC. Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy . We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.