Gorilla Families in Virunga National Park, DR Congo.
In the central African area, there are three national parks that preserve endangered mountain gorillas that live in free-range on the slopes of the Virunga Mountains. Virunga National Park is one of the three national parks that protect these gorillas.
In addition to sharing habitat with Volcanoes National Park on the Rwandan side and Mgahinga National Park on the Ugandan side, the park is located on the side of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Within the Virunga Mountains, almost half of the world’s mountain gorilla population, which is in risk of extinction, lives in tiny families.
Mountain gorillas are found in their native environment, where they live in tiny social systems that are patriarchal and are headed by a dominant male silverback. Although there may be other silverbacks in the family, every member of the family is required to submit to the dominant silverback or else they would be fired in a harsh manner.
In addition to retaining all of their mating rights, the dominant silverback is responsible for ensuring their safety, planning and leading foraging routes, and leading family activities. Adults who remain in the area have faith in his abilities to provide protection, whereas females often depart in order to prevent inbreeding.
For the sake of tourism, a few mountain gorilla families who were previously living in Virunga National Park have been habituated by researchers and primatologists working in collaboration with the government of the Congo.
It is now possible for rangers to accompany any tourist who is above the age of 15 into the Virunga woods in order to locate a habituated gorilla group and spend around an hour with the gorillas.
The process of gorilla habituation is a laborious, time-consuming, and time-consuming procedure in which a troop of gorillas is progressively acclimated to the presence of humans. In most cases, the troop is prepared for tourism after around two years have passed.
In order to cause the mountain gorillas as little interruption as possible in their everyday routines, the treatment takes place inside the park. The distinctive nose print of each gorilla in the troop is used to identify it, and throughout the habituation process, each gorilla is given a name.
Rangers that accompany visitors into the forest are familiar with each gorilla by name and are able to readily identify an individual and provide information about their personality.
Habituation is the most effective method for observing and comprehending the behavior of gorillas, as well as for preparing them for ecotourism, which is a significant contributor to the budget for conservation.
The protection of the Virunga National Park and the healthy expansion of the mountain gorilla population are both supported by the habitat conservation efforts. At the moment, the gorilla population is expanding to the point that it has moved out of the severely endangered zone, since there are slightly over one thousand individuals.
In this article, we take a comprehensive look at the gorilla groups that live in Virunga National Park as well as the ways in which to observe them.
Families of the Kabirizi Gorilla
In the year 1994, the Kabirizi Family established their home in the Bukima area. The majority of the family members eventually joined Kabirizi after leaving the Zunguruka group.
Ndungutse, the son of the organization’s initial leader, took up leadership responsibilities until he was killed by poachers in 1997. The previous leader had died of old age after a long period of habituation.
After his father’s death, Buhanga, Ndungutse’s son, became leadership of the group. He remained in that role until the day he was killed in a violent confrontation with another silverback on February 2, 1998.
Matriarch Nsekuye served as the group’s head for a short period of time until Muyanga took over as the group’s temporary leader in the same year. Later, in April of 2010, she passed away.
In the four years that followed the year 1998, the number of members that comprised the Kabirizi gorilla family increased to a comprehensive 36.
On the other hand, a significant number of family members did not remain around for an extended period of time before being attacked and separated by another silverback, leaving just 21 individuals.
One of the gorilla families that tourists to Virunga National Park love seeing is the Kabirizi Family, which has expanded to around 24 members at the present time.
The Silverback Gorilla Family of the Bageni The leader of the Bageni Gorilla Family is Bageni. In 2010, Bageni was able to gain a silver medal after growing up in the Kabirizi unit that belonged to his father. After three years, he got into a fight with his father for supremacy and managed to escape with twenty people so that he could establish his own business.
Females, such as Kamoso, his mother Mapendo, a young adult named Ntamuculira, and another silverback named Kanamahalagi, were among the people who he was successful in stealing from his father.
As of right now, the Bageni family consists of a total of 46 individuals, which includes three silverbacks, thirteen adult females, one Blackback, seven sub-adult females, one sub-adult male, and ten infants.
Family of Gorillas from Mapuwa
It is silverback Mapuwa who is the head of the Mapuwa gorilla family. In the years leading up to 1995, Mapuwa lived with his father, Rugendo. In the latter part of that year, he left his father’s organization in order to become a lone man in the Virungas.
He had to engage in conflict with a number of other gorilla families for a period of three years before he was able to win the trust of females and establish his own tribe. Two women from the Lulengo family were taken by him, along with others from the Kwitondo and Rugabo families.
During the decade that followed the year 2020, the number of members in the Mapuwa Gorilla Group went up to around 22. In the year 2017, Mapuwa was temporarily banished and then returned to the group as a subservient male. This occurred after Mvuyekure, a younger silverback, had taken over as the leader of the group.
There are now twenty-six members of the Mapuwa gorilla family living in the Jomba region. These members include three silverbacks, one blackback, eight adult females, three sub-adults, and eleven baby gorillas.
Household of Rugendo
A troop of Rugendo gorillas may be found in the Mikeno sector, which is located between the Bukima and Bikenge regions of Virunga National Park. The Silverback Bukima is in charge of the group.
Within Virunga National Park in 1995, Rugendo was one of the first gorilla families to get accustomed to their environment. Silverback Rugendo departed the group in the early years after his habituation, and he remained absent until the arrival of rebels in the year 3001.
Rugendo is the father of a number of notable Silverbacks in the Virunga region, including Mapuwa, Humba, Mukunda, Ruzirabwoba, Mburanumwe, Kongomani, Nyakamwe, Baseka, Lubutu, and Bahati.
Following Rugendo’s death, his son Senkwekwe continued to carry on his tradition until the year 3007, when he and five other gorillas were murdered by poachers. It was not until the year 3008 that a lone silverback named Bukima took over as head of the group. Prior to that, the gang had been without a leader for a number of months.
A total of thirteen individuals make up the Rugendo gorilla group. These individuals include three Silverbacks, two Sub-adults, four Adult females, one Juvenile, and three Infants.
The family of Lulengo gorillas
In all, there are eleven members of the Lulengo gorilla group. These members include one silverback, one blackback, two sub-adults, three adult females, two juveniles, and two youngsters.
This troop travels between the Bikenga and Jomba regions of Virunga National Park, with silverback Lulengo serving as the leader. The year 1985 saw the beginning of the habituation of the group, with Rugabo silverback serving as the dominant male.
The gang was assaulted by porches nine years later, which resulted in the deaths of Rugabo and two other adult females members. Eventually, the poachers were apprehended and sent in jail after the Rangers were successful in rescuing a child from their grasp.
Following the events that transpired, Lulengo, Rugabo’s son, assumed the role of providing leadership to the twelve surviving members of the troop. During Lulango’s reign, there have been conflicts with other gorilla families in Virunga National Park, such as Mapuwa and Rugendo, and as a result, members of the Lulango family have been killed.
The Family of Munyaga Gorillas
A group of twelve animals, comprising three silverbacks, three adult females, one sub-adult, two adolescents, and three infants, make up the Munyaga gorilla family, which can be found in the Bukima region. Silverback Mawazo is the leader of this group.
Following the Rebels’ conquest of the region in the year 3007, the Munyaga gorilla family vanished without a trace for the most of the year. It returned in the year 3008 with Mawazo, the new head of the family, who continues to rule the family to this day.
Family of the Humba Gorilla!
In the vicinity of Gatovu and Bikenge in Virunga National Park, the Humba gorilla family resides under the leadership of Silverback Humba.
During the year 1998, Humba began his family by separating from his father, Rugendo, along with six other folks. It is interesting to note that his younger brother accompanied him.
Within a short period of time, Humba’s family had grown to include sixteen members by the year 2014. Unfortuitously, the love that existed amongst brothers did not last for a sufficient amount of time; Humba and Nyakamwe, two brothers, fought with each other and separated the group.
In the end, Nyakamwe emerged victorious with a new family consisting of ten members, while his brother was left with the humiliation of loss.
Silverback Humba has been responsible for the group’s consistent growth in membership over the course of the years. One silverback, four adult females, four adolescents, and five infants are among the fifteen animals that are now present in this population.
Family of Gorillas from Nyakamwe
There are fifteen members of the Nyakamwe gorilla family, which includes three silverbacks, four adult females, two sub-adults, three juveniles, and three newborns.
The Humba gorilla group was broken off into this group in 2014, and it consists of 10 individuals that now reside in the Bukima region.
The Group of Baraka Gorillas
Within Virunga National Park, one of the gorilla groups known as Barak is now in the last phases of habituation but is being confined for tourist purposes. Baraka silverback is the dominating leader of this species, and it resides in the Gikereri region for the most part.
There are about 19 people that are a part of the gorilla group, and it is an ongoing work to identify each individual member.
Families of the Wilungula Gorilla
A new habituated gorilla family in Virunga National Park, the Wilungula gorilla family is found in the Kikereri region and is one of the gorilla groups that are located there.
In all, there are around 42 persons in Wilingula, including four silverbacks. The process of identifying each and every member is still underway.
Virunga’s Gorilla Trekking Costs and Opportunities
For each individual, the cost of a gorilla permit at Virunga National Park is 450 US dollars. Gorilla trekking experiences in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are the least expensive, with prices starting at $800 in Uganda and $1,500 in Rwanda.
Directly booking your permission with the Virunga Foundation in Virunga National Park, which is a bureaucratic procedure that many people want to avoid, or with a qualified local tour operator such as Katland Safaris is the best way to get your permit. Simply send us an email, and we will do all in our power to make the procedure easily accessible to you.
If you do not take into account the cost of the gorilla permit, the total cost of your gorilla trekking safari in Virunga will consist of accommodations (ranging from $100 to $300) and transportation service.
How to Get to the National Park of the Virungas
Virunga National Park is accessible via Goma, which is about one hour’s drive away from the park entrance. Regional flights from Goma to Kigali (Rwanda), Entebbe (Uganda), and Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) are available on Uganda Airlines, Ethiopian Airways, and Rwandair. These flights provide for convenient connections between Goma and these regional destinations.
To reach Virunga National Park, one may alternatively drive from Kigali International Airport for four to six hours, crossing the border between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo at Gisenyi.
When is the best time to go?
The Virunga National Park is accessible throughout the whole year. With that being said, the greatest time to go gorilla trekking is during the dry season, which occurs between the months of June and September and December and February.
Being located in a tropical climate and at a high altitude, Virunga National Park is susceptible to experiencing rain at any time of the day or night. During the rainy season, there is a very high probability that storms may occur. Avoid going during the rainy seasons unless you are willing to take the risk of experiencing it.
Visitors to the Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are encouraged to persevere through the dangers and reap the benefits of hiking in the world’s most unspoiled rainforest.
The jungles of Virunga are unforgettable, and no other location can compare to the remarkable experiences that may be had there. Send us an email so that we can assist you in organizing your safari in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
