Mountain gorillas are a unique species of primates inhabiting the tropical rainforest of the Virunga range volcanoes and Bwindi impenetrable forest national park in Uganda. These are the world’s largest living apes sharing 98 percent of their DNA with humans.
Mountain gorillas are social animals that live in groups dominated by an alpha male known as the silverback that dominates all the group activities like feeding time, movement, sleeping and so much more. The silverback is the only male gorilla that can access the group females.
Silverback gorillas are responsible for the group safety that is; they protect the group from intruders and will fight to protect their families even if it will cost them their live, same way female mountain gorillas will protect their babies even if it costs them death.
Christmas gorilla family
Christmas mountain gorilla family can be trekked in Nkuringo sector of Bwindi impenetrable forest national park, the group is dominated by silverback Christmas who broke away from Nkuringo mountain gorilla family to start up his own group.
Christmas mountain gorilla family is composed of 9 members, when the group broke off the was no need of habituating the group but Uganda Wild Life just left it to settle as they monitored then it was later on opened for trekking.
Christmas gorilla family derives its name from the dominating silverback Christmas who was named so because he was born on Christmas day. It should be noted that numbers in gorilla groups keep changing due to a reasonable number of factors from time to time.
Nkuringo gorilla family
Nkuringo mountain gorilla family is the group that led to the formation of Christmas gorilla family, Nkuringo group is the hardest to trek in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park and the group derives its name from Nkuringo hills in Bwindi where the group was first spotted by rangers.
The group had 17 individuals at the time of habituation; it was led by the second youngest silverback despite having 4 silverbacks which is a rare case with mountain gorilla families that are always dominated by the oldest silverback.
Gorilla trekking
Christmas mountain gorilla family can be trekked from Rushagga sector of Bwindi impenetrable forest national park, the activity starts early morning at the park headquarters after a briefing on the rules and regulations of gorilla trekking. Trekking can take from 30 minutes to seven hours but you will be given an hour to observe the great apes once you find the family.
Gorilla habituation
Gorilla habituation can only be done in Rushagga sector of Bwindi national park in the world, habituation involves joining researchers and rangers in their daily work and this gives you a chance to spend 4 hours in the presence of mountain gorillas unlike gorilla trekking where you get to spend only one hour.
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