Are Uganda Gorilla Parks safe? Our hearty sympathies go to all every person in this world who has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in one or the other. Our hope rests on our vigilance and ability to adhere to the guideline set by our respective governments as well as ministries responsible for health. As travel adventures, we need to keep an eye at the unique aspects of the tourism industry that makes us leave our home to our destination despite the stay home directives being imposed. As we value our safety and security, we should be mindful of the safety of the endangered Mountain gorillas which are a popular attraction on the African continent.

This essay is intended to update you about the safety and security of only mountain gorillas in Bwindi and Mgahinga National park which hosts more than half of the Worlds Endangered  Mountain Gorillas after the raids that have been carried out at our neighbor’s Park Virunga National Park in Democratic Republic of Congo which as well hosts some of these species. A prevention and conservation strategy, Virunga was among the first gorillas park in Africa to suspend the tourism activities because of the Covid-19, little did the management know that another tragedy to hit was forthcoming.

Briefly, Virunga National Park is the most diverse and oldest National Park located in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The park avowals outstanding variety of wildlife species, with the upper most number of mammals, animals, birds as well as reptiles species of any kind in Africa.  Despite this richness, the park over the past two decades the park and its surroundings, have been acting of continuous conflicts that threatened endangered species habitat and conservatism in addition to destabilizing communities whose livelihood depends on the park and ecosystem and communities that depend on the park and its ecosystem.

History has it that Parc National des Virunga (Virunga National Park) was firsts protected in Africa as Albert National park in the year 1925 in Kivu province in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, across the equator on Uganda and Rwanda borders. With the growth in conservation, the park was in 1929, Virunga National Park was recognized as an extension in 1969, excluding the area that turned into parc National des Volcans or volcanoes National Park in Rwanda in Rwanda.

As a result of terrorizations to the conservation area such as the Rwandan refugee crisis of 1994 and different rebel groups resulted from the stoppage of a single-party regime in the Northern part of the country by then-president SSesseko Mobutu’s. This resulted in the ambushing of cars on conservation patrol cars,  killing of tour guides, ranger guides, and civilians as well as increased looting which making the country lose this northern side of the park. It was because of this insurgency that incited UNESCO after careful evaluation to include the park of the list of world heritage sites in danger in 1993 before the genocide of Rwanda.

Recent attacks on the Virunga National

On Friday, April 2010, Sad and fear engulfed the people of Congo sounding the Democratic Republic of Congo after deadly militia and attached killed at least seventeen people including twelve (12) park rangers who were ambushed escorting the civilians, other killed include four local people and one driver attached to Congolese Institute for the Conservation of Nature. According to the director of Congolese Institute for Natural Conservation, about sixty armed fighters from Democratic forces for the Liberation of Rwanda dubbed as a Hutu rebel group waylaid a convoy of civilians which was being escorted by fifteen rangers.

This is not a new development in Virunga as it has been constantly hit by a Congolese militia. The park management decided to shut it down for about eight months after successions of attacks on the staff and travelers as well as communities. It was later reopened after sufficient and heavily equipped enforcement of about seven hundred rangers were deployed to look after the safety of people’s lives and wild animals. Further, the park is associated with charcoal burning accelerating deforestation of forest and poaching.

Still, on the threat of insecurity, this attack has increased the tally of killed rangers from eight to twenty rangers that have been killed since the begging the year 2028, leading to 188 total Virunga rangers killed over past 20 years. Remember in 2018 still, mysterious gunmen kidnapped Two United Kingdom tourists, their driver, and killed arranger who was part of the organized tour to the UNESCO world heritage site and home to the magnificent volcanoes and rich biodiversity including the endangered gorilla. As Africa adventure Vacations, we call for respect of humanity and nature and condemn with the strongest arms such acts that put conservation in danger zones.

Are Uganda gorillas’ parks safe and secure?

Uganda is widely popular as the only country in the world with half of the total world’s last and endangered mountain gorillas.  These are found in Bwindi and Mgahinga National Park adjacent to each located in Southwestern Uganda nearly at the boarders of the democratic republic of Congo and Rwanda. The proximity of Mgahinga and Bwindi parks with Congo’s Virunga national which been recently attacked has up stretched questions about the safety and security of these parks especially to travelers likely to come for gorillas’ safaris in parks after COVID-19 pandemic.

It is important to note that Uganda has an attack record of fighting insurgency and has enjoyed peacefully environs for the past 35 years. The security of the country is safe and secure and the fresh attacks on Virunga have intensified operations around the border to ensure that the safety and security of that people and endangered mountain gorillas have enjoyed for a long time is not violated and is maintained. The safety and security of people and persons is the constitutional mandate of the security enforcers in Uganda and therefore they are working hard to ensure that the mandate is achieved.

The security of Bwindi and Mgahinga National Parks is manned by a joint force composed of Uganda Defense Forces, Uganda Police Force, and the Wildlife rangers. Additionally, each sub county is assigned to sub-county internal security offers who link up with National Internal Security Agencies in case of any need. For our travelers for gorilla safaris in any other parks after the lockdown in Uganda, security is guaranteed, and, in any way,you shouldn’t postpone or cancel your trip to Uganda because of security concerns.

Remembers, it is only in these parks where they can enjoy “double gorilla experience “that is gorilla trekking experience and gorilla habituation experience. This is possible because of more than 500 gorillas found in these parks, really this an experience incomparable. Other than, gorillas, the park has a variety of bird species that offers you an opportunity for bird watching, the cultural Batwa experiences as well as nature walks.

Conclusively, the conservation areas are so fragile and sensitive to the security, and without any security measure in place we can feel pride amidst nature. Therefore, it’s the responsibility of all of us all to condemn all activities aimed at eliminating the living creatures instead we should work towards developing a mutual relationship with them. to our esteemed clients our booking to Uganda and East African safaris are on, just book with us there is a lot to offer after the COVID-19 crisis. Stay home and safe, don’t be a victim of Coronavirus.