According to latest data published in 2017, there are about 1000 mountain gorillas in the forests of Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The data is growing and seems encouraging, but the situation is still threatening.
About half of them are in Uganda in the Bwindi National Park, the rest is in the Virunga Conservation Area which is divided between Uganda, Rwanda and Congo. But what are the greatest dangers that might affect gorillas? Obviously, poaching, the diseases spread by humans and the loss of their habitat. A source of future concern is in fact represented by the governments’ authorizations to the oil companies to carry out mining activities. Although not directly related to the parks that are populated by gorillas, this type of exploitation of the resources of Central Africa is likely to threaten biodiversity due to the constant transition of workers and heavy vehicles.
This is why visiting these animals can contribute to their rescuing. Although permission to see these animals is very expensive ($500 per person), you need to know that 25% of the money is donated to local communities, while the rest is used to protect the gorillas. More tourism also means more jobs.
