Mountain Gorilla Trekking Safaris remain the finest experiences that visitors can ever have when they visit Africa in the countries of Uganda, Rwanda and Congo DR. Today the world only has 880 individuals (Gorillas) living in the wild (of course they cannot survive in captivity) and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park has almost half of this total population. The “Bwindi Population” comprises of both wild and habituated mountain gorilla families. Trekkers can only visit eleven (11) of the twelve (12) habituated mountain gorilla families in Bwindi and Bweza is one of them. The twelfth (12th) family called Kyaguriro is strictly reserved for research purposes.
Although a calm and peaceable population, unrests have characterized the Bwindi population over the years; with some families wrestling with other mountain gorilla groups, some habituated families facing raids from wild mountain gorilla families; and it is also becoming common to see divisions among the habituated families. Such historical events and many more are explained by UWA ranger guides to Tours and Safari visitors in Uganda’s significant national park; Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The Bweza family is also a result of a secession struggle.
One account states that after a silverback called Mishaya broke away with ten (10) members of the Nshongi mountain gorilla family in 2010, another silverback called Bweza also chose to leave the Nshongi family (the largest mountain gorilla family to ever be habituated) to form his own. Another account narrates that when Mishaya left the Nshongi family, he left with Bweza who after living under Mishaya’s roof for two years, decided to break away with six (6) members to form his own family. Both these mountain gorilla families (Mishaya and Bweza) can be found when tracking mountain gorillas on a Safari in Uganda along the Rushaga trail-head where their parent mountain gorilla family Nshongi also lives.
When the Bweza silverback left to form his own family, the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) rangers thought he would soon return, but this has not happened until today. UWA decided to open the Bweza family to Uganda gorilla trekking safari visitors at the end of 2012.The formation of the Bweza family created availability for more tourists to also enjoy the awesomeness in mountain gorilla tracking; creating an additional eight (8) spots for tourists to fill in. The family is now settled and calm with a total number of nine (9) individuals who are still led by their founding father and alpha silver-back called Bweza.
Uganda safaris/Uganda safari News
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