Nyakagezi gorilla family is the only habituated Mountain gorilla group in Uganda’s smallest national park Mgahinga National Park situated in south western section of Uganda.

The park is part of the prodigious Virunga Massifs and strategically situated in the extreme boarder with Rwanda’s Volcanoes National park and unexplored Virunga National park of the democratic republic of Congo.

The famous Nyakagezi gorilla family in Mgahinga has ten (10) individual mountain gorilla members which include five silverbacks, one juvenile, three females, and one babie.

During times of habituation, individual Mountain gorillas in a given gorilla family are accorded different names to ease identification process.

Nyakagezi gorilla family which can be encountered by visitors on Uganda gorilla trekking tour to Mgahinga national park has members identified as Mark, Mathew, Bugingo, Nshuti, Baby Rukundo, Nvuyekure, and Mutagamba.

Breaking news coming in from Mgahinga National park portrays that Mark has assumed over the leadership of Nyakagezi gorilla family from former Bugingo silver back who is estimated to be 53 years old.

The news also say that Bugingo still lives with the family members harmoniously which is a rare case in mountain gorillas as well as other animals where supplanted silverbacks tend to separate from such families and leave in single life or search for refuge on other gorilla groups or families.

In some instances, they tend to join other habituated gorilla groups or form its own new gorilla family. We have witnessed these instances or scenarios where Mwirima silver back went into isolation after it was replaced from the leadership of Mubare gorilla family.

From total number of seven (7) individual gorilla members to ten (10) members is good news to Uganda’s gorilla tourism as visitors on Uganda gorilla trekking safaris like to trek mountain gorilla families or groups composed of many members including silver-backs as well as babies.

The increase in the number of gorilla members in Mgahinga is attributed to better conservation methods used by Uganda Wildlife Authority in partnership with other stakeholders who are working day and night to see that mountain gorillas are conserved and protected in Mgahinga.

Nyakagezi gorilla family used to be nomadic gorilla family moving from Uganda’s Mgahinga to Virunga national park in Congo and Volcanoes national park in Rwanda until last year 2014 when the group finally settled down in Mgahinga National Park in south western part of Uganda.

Because of its nomadic nature, it was very difficult for Uganda Wildlife Authority to sell its gorilla permits in advance to an extent that all visitors on Gorilla trekking safaris but interested in trekking the Nyakagezi gorilla family would book their gorilla permits on ground.

This was a great limitation to the development or takeoff of gorilla trekking tourism activities in Mgahinga National Park since no visitor would spend money to undertake Uganda gorilla trekking tour to trek Nyakagezi gorilla family when gorilla permits sold are for Bwindi Impenetrable National park.

However, due to the fact that the gorilla family has permanently settled in Mgahinga, the Park is now receiving notable number of visitors undertaking gorilla trekking safaris to the park to participate in mountain gorilla trekking as well as other activities like golden monkey trekking, hiking of Mgahinga Volcanoes among other volcanoes that include Sabinyo and Muhavura.

There is also Batwa trail which allows tourists to explore the life style and culture of the once traditional owners of Mgahinga forest before it was gazzeted to national park.

Uganda Safaris/Uganda Safari News
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