The analysis of the census conducted in last year indicates that there were a total of 480 mountain gorillas, (Gorilla beringei beringei), in 36 groups along with 14 solitary silverback males in the Virunga Massif.

Along with the 302 mountain gorillas censured in Bwindi in 2006 and four orphaned mountain gorillas in a sanctuary in DRC, this brings the new total world population to 786 individuals. The last census undertaken in the Virunga Massif was in 2003, when the population was estimated at 380 individuals.

The current figure represents a 26.3 % increase in the population of mountain gorillas in this area over the last seven years, which is a 3.7 % annual growth rate. This increase in the population occurred despite the killing of no less than nine mountain gorillas, in four separate incidents, during this time period.

Of the 480 mountain gorillas censured, 352 (73%) were habituated (349 in groups and three solitary males) and 128 were unhabituated (117 in groups and 11 solitary males).

Virunga massif includes three contiguous national parks namely; Parc National des Virunga in DRC, Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda. The only other location where mountain gorillas exist is Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda.

The goal of the census was not only to assess the population level of the mountain gorillas, but their level of health as well. Analyses conducted on fecal samples will contribute to one of the most comprehensive health screenings of any wild ape population.

The results will also be extremely valuable in order to make comparisons between populations, and between habituated and unhabituated groups. These results will not only serve as a baseline for understanding the health status of the mountain gorillas, but may also provide insights into past and future exposure to human pathogens.

The census itself was an exercise in collaboration, and IGCP played a lead role in attracting support for the census and coordinating all participating institutions and organizations. Over 1,000 kilometers were systematically walked by six mixed teams of seventy-two people from DRC, Rwanda, and Uganda.

Teams covered the entire range and meticulously documented fresh signs of mountain gorilla groups. Genetic analysis of fecal samples collected was analyzed to identify and correct for any double-counting of individuals or groups, ensuring the most accurate estimate for the population.

Although habituated mountain gorillas are continuously monitored, periodic census of the population is a necessary step in conservation. The census not only recorded the presence of mountain gorillas, but also the presence of other large mammals and illegal activities like bamboo cutting and snares.

While the incredible increase in this population of mountain gorillas is clearly a good thing and cause for celebration, the threats to their existence are persistent. Recently, a coordinated patrol discovered and destroyed just over 200 snares in the Virunga Massif over a five-day patrol. Although poachers typically do not target mountain gorillas, the snares they set are a threat nonetheless.

The Virunga Massif mountain gorilla census was conducted by the protected area authorities in the three countries: L’Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature, the Rwanda Development Board and the Uganda Wildlife Authority.

The census was supported by the International Gorilla Conservation Programme (a coalition of the African Wildlife Foundation, World Wide Fund for Nature, and Fauna & Flora International), the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund – International and the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project.

The census was funded by WWF-Sweden, Fair Play Foundation, and the Netherlands Directorate General for International Cooperation (DGIS) through the Greater Virunga Transboundary Collaboration.

The full report of the census, which will be available in 2011, will include details on population dynamics and distribution of the Virunga gorilla population as well as population structure and genetic composition. These details will provide a scientific basis from which IGCP and other conservation institutions and organizations will plan collective conservation efforts.

PKP-Kenya Safari desk

Natural Track Safaris

Prior to the infamous genocide, Rwanda attracted adventurers through its natural treasures ranging from gorillas, rain forests to big game. Despite the hard times, today the country is once again on the road to a bright future. Leading the way are those same attractions that continue to thrill the adventurer, eco-tourist and or just plain nature-lover.

Popularly known as ‘the land of a thousand hills’, Rwanda has five volcanoes, twenty-three lakes and numerous rivers, some forming the source of the great River Nile. The landscapes in this ‘green country’ are truly breathtaking.

Hoisted as Africa’s most eco-destination and the alternative safari destination, Rwanda now boasts the mountain gorilla, authentic African culture, comfortable weather and excellent year-round wildlife viewing, unparalleled scenery and great food. Among all, there is safety and reliability in Rwanda whilst most of its attractions lay undiscovered. Numbering in their hundreds, the gorillas live in a protected area, with many rangers to make sure they are free from poachers.

The Virunga National Park in northern Rwanda is home to the world’s largest number of endangered mountain gorillas.

The gorillas can be viewed in their natural mountain habitats at a fairly close range. The park is also home to a great variety of bird life. The National Office for Tourism and National Parks (ORTPN) organizes guided tours.

When visiting the Land of a thousand hills, you should not miss out on the magnificent opportunity to visit Rwanda’s National Volcano Park (NVP). The park consists of 125 square kilometer of mountain forest and is home to the six Virunga Volcanoes bordering DRC and Uganda.

Best known for its mountain gorilla inhabitants, what is now the NVP was originally part of the Albert National Park, the first national park created in Africa, established in 1925. Today, the park is managed and protected by the Rwandan Office of Tourism and National Parks.

The Akagera National Park in eastern Rwanda is teeming with wildlife both large and small. They range from Lions, Giraffe, Elephant and Hippopotamus to Hyena, Impala and Gazelle without mentioning the rich variety of bird life.

Although hiking and climbing the Volcanoes is currently not permitted, a gorilla visit can entail anything from a half an hour to a four hour trek through the forest, led by experienced trackers who have spent their entire lives living in or close to the forest. Your trek through the forest will not be easy, but will be enchanting as you weave through overhanging vines, moss covered Hagenia trees and giant Lobelias that thrive in the tropical climate of the forest. You may spot golden monkeys swinging from the bamboo, or see wild buffalo, bush duiker and a wide assortment of bird life.

Access to the NVP begins in the lively town of Ruhengeri, situated at the base of the entrance of the park. Ruhengeri has long been the base point for gorilla visits and entertains a stunning backdrop of Karisimbi, Visoke, Mikeno, Sabyinyo, Gahinga and Muhabura volcanoes.

Ruhengeri is easily reached from Rwanda’s capital city, Kigali, either by private vehicle or by public taxi minibus. If you intend to make a gorilla visit, you will need to organise your own transport from Ruhengeri town to the park boundaries, where you will continue your trip on foot. Vehicles can be hired for this purpose in Ruhengeri town. Ruhengeri is also only a 45-minute drive away from Gisenyi and the stunning Lake Kivu.

Rwanda also has water bodies which are ideal for water sports and fishing. Lake Kivu in the west of the country and Lake Muhazi in the east are both ideal for water sports and fishing. Lake Kivu also offers beautiful beaches, jutting peninsulas and an archipelago of beautiful islands.

The Kinigi Guest House on the foot of Mount Sabyinyo was recently fully refurbished, and is now open. It offers very comfortable accommodation in cottages for two, four or eight people. It also offers a good restaurant and bar. Hotel Muhabura in Ruhengeri town also offers comfortable accommodation in reasonably priced single and double rooms equipped with mosquito nets and a good supply of running hot and cold water. The hotel also features a reasonable restaurant and bar and is complete with fax and telephone facilities.

PKP- Kenya Safari desk

Natural Track Safaris

The park is comprised of swamps, lakes, savannah, woodland and open grassland. The lakes draw out herds of elephant and buffalo, while the savannah typically attracts giraffes and zebras. That is just the beginning! For the bird-lover, you can be entertained by majestic fish eagles and the large concentration of waterbirds. In the marshes, keep an eye out for the papyrus gonolek and the often sought-after shoebill stork.

Quoting from words of great environmental writers – “Akagera, with its complex mix of terrains, vegetation and animal life is a very special place on earth – a place to preserve at all costs for future generations”.

With its perfect location, Akagera National Park could scarcely be more different in mood to the breezy cultivated hills that characterise much of Rwanda. Dominated scenically by the labyrinth of swamps and lakes that follow the meandering course of the Akagera River, the most remote source of the Nile, this is archetypal African savannah landscape of tangled acacia woodland interspersed with open grassland.

Akagera comes as an exciting surprise after the steep cultivated hills and breezy climate that characterizes the rest of the country. Set at a relatively low altitude along the Tanzanian border, this beautiful game reserve protects an African savannah landscape of tangled acacia and brachystegia bush, interspersed with patches of open grassland and a dozen swamp-fringed lakes that follow the meandering course of the Akagera River.

Akagera is, above all, big game country. Herds of elephant and buffalo emerge from the woodland to drink at the lakes, while lucky visitors might lurch across a leopard, a spotted hyena or even a stray lion. Giraffe and zebra haunt the Savannah, and more than a dozen types of antelope inhabit the park, most commonly the handsome chestnut-coated impala, but also the diminutive oribi and secretive bushbuck, as well as the ungainly tsessebe and the world’s largest antelope, the statuesque Cape eland.

Lining the lakes are some of the continent densest concentrations of water birds, while the connecting marshes are the haunt of the endangered and exquisite papyrus gonolek, and the bizarre shoebill stork – the latter perhaps the most eagerly sought of all African birds.

Camping alongside the picturesque lakes of Akagera is a truly mystical introduction to the wonders of the African bush. Pods of 50 hippos grunt and splutter throughout the day, while outsized crocodiles soak up the sun with their vast jaws open to cool down abit. Magically, the air is torn apart by the unforgettable high duetting of a pair of fish eagles, asserting their status as the avian monarchs of Africa’s waterways.

There are accommodation facilities on the edge of the park at Gabiro, 100km (60 miles) to the north. It is best not to visit the park in the rainy season (December, March and April) since many of the routes become impassable.
If it is big game you are looking for, Akagera will not disappoint you.

PKP-Kenia safari desk

Natural Track Safaris

The safaris embark on a circuit of national parks and game reserves just like other more expensive vacations, and you get to feel that you are experiencing an ‘on the ground’ adventure by camping in beautiful locales.
Booking a camping safari can be done directly through the tour operator from your home country. Or, if you are travelling through Tanzania and have a few days to spare, you can book directly through the company’s office in Tanzania.

Often, individual participants find a company and book their trip, then the tour operator is responsible for finding enough numbers to fill a car, preparations are made, and the group embarks on safari. Visitors are often expected to help pitch camp and bring their own camping equipment, but the cooking and cleaning is all left to the camping staff.

‘Fly camping’ is the term for luxury walking safaris where visitors sleep out in the open with only a mosquito net between them and the African sky. For many visitors, fly camping is the height of their Tanzanian experience – the sheer vastness of their surroundings, the peaceful rhythms of nature, and the opportunity to be alone in the African bush is a stunning and memorable experience.

Guests often embark on day hikes through the bush with their private guide, and camp is set up each evening in a new locale. These mobile walking safaris give visitors a chance to see the wildlife and birds of the game reserves up close, and experience their natural surroundings without the distraction of vehicles and other guests.
Visitors learn to read animal tracks, explore the medicinal properties of indigenous plant life, and immerse themselves in the vast world of insects and bird life that sustains the vast African plains.

Hike lengths can be varied according to difficulty and length each day, and the guided walks introduce you to a living, breathing world that extends beyond the big game of other mainstream safari options.

Fly camping is fast becoming the most popular option for luxury safari guests who want to experience the freedom and adventure of camping in the African bush without the encumbrances camping often entails. At present, fly camping is only available in the Selous Game Reserve, but due to its popularity, other game reserves may include it as a safari option soon.

Camping safaris in Tanzania are in deed unique and diverse and every human being should experience it at least once.

PKP- Kenya safari desk

Natural Track Safaris

Tanzania walking safaris are undoubtedly very rewarding experiences in Africa. It is explained as the best way to discover Africa on foot. This is because of its vast un-spoilt wilderness areas thrilled with large concentrations of wildlife and awe-inspiring sceneries. Imagine enjoying a walking safari led by a professional guide while staying in camps situated in ideal locations, forming the perfect base to explore the surrounding areas on nature walks. Superb guides include local Maasai, introducing you to some of the real treasures of the African jungle.

Walking safaris are a wonderful adventure, designed especially for those who love walking. A good amount of conventional game viewing in vehicles is also included, but the highlights of Tanzania walking safari are the intimate moments you’ll experience in Tanzania’s very remote backcountry on foot.

In a land with such great and diverse walking destinations, you can be sure the amounts of options are in-exhaustible. Most professional travel companies have established proven track of itineraries but you will find tailor made packages more preferred depending on your interests, fitness and time.

While trekking and also depending on the type of your trekking package, your will pick life time experiences that will outlive your ambitions. Some itineraries will lead you to fabulous views of Mt Kibo, the Shira Plateau or even Mt Meru on clear days. Spend the late afternoon meandering to the nearby Maasai village of Olmalog or simply relaxing in camp. A campfire using sustainable wood sources accompanies the dying light and sounds of the Maasai’s cattle heading back to their bomas give you a real African –home experience.

During the morning walks, game viewing grows more prevalent and zebra often gallop away after approaching curiously. Giraffe, eland, impala and Grant’s gazelle are also usually seen. Picnic lunches are taken under the shade of an acacia tree, and there is then usually time to relax as the hottest part of the day passes over. So as to give you the reality of authentic Africa, some creative safari outfitters will pitch your camps under a set of huge acacia trees with sweeping views of the plains that head up to Kilimanjaro and as the sun sets you enjoy the scrumptious dinner prepared with locally fresh foods.

Some itineraries will include a fantastic walk to the top of Napopong hill where at its amazing peak you will be rewarded with great sunrise views and hopefully, the Uhuru summit of Kilimanjaro on clear days. This magnificent area is also credited for diverse birdlife and great wildlife encounters. Walking options may also spread as far as Tarangire national park where game viewing tracks meander along the great Tarangire River, one of East Africa’s famous “Sand Rivers” and whose rolling hills are dotted with ancient Baobab trees and dense woodlands, distinguishing Tarangire from most of the rest of the northern plains game parks.

In some packages, a relatively short and spectacular morning drive to the base of the Great Rift Valley is included where much of the day is spent in Lake Manyara National Park. This UNESCO biosphere is a relatively small park but with an amazing diversity of habitats. Ground water forest, open glades, plains, and acacia woodland create homes for a fantastic array of birds and mammals.

The most spectacular itineraries are those that include Ngorongoro crater rim walk. Mostly, it starts with a drive to the enchanted Ngorongoro Crater with its truly amazing scenery. You will then continue round the rim, where a crew of guides, a ranger, Maasai and donkeys will be waiting. Begin a marvelous walk in this pristine Maasai land. The track takes you part way around the rim of the crater through open woodland and acacia forests. To your right are the remarkably spectacular views of the crater floor below, and to your left are the endless plains of the Serengeti. A very simple camp is set in a remote location where one of the important rivers off the highland volcanoes enters the crater.

After an early breakfast camp is packed up and the morning trek continues along the crater rim traversing the Olmoti slopes. The trail leaves the rainforest and cuts through grassland and open woodlands inhabited by local Maasai. In the late afternoon we reach a vehicle track which winds out of Ngorongoro crater towards Empakai crater.

There are also options to trek in crater floor. This unique hundred-square mile wildlife paradise has a greater density of wildlife than sensibly any other protected wilderness in Africa. It’s the last place to see relatively easily free-ranging black rhino. There are numerous lions, and large families of buffalo. The plains gazelle seem inestimable. The crater provides a scenic wonderland famed by its central lake and many shore birds including at times large numbers of flamingo.

Most long treks culminate at the Serengeti with en-route stop over at Olduvai Gorge, the world re-known archeological site. The Serengeti is certainly the best-known wildlife sanctuary in the world. Here, your adventure camp will be placed seasonally to maximize game viewing. A whole day is set aside to explore this African jewel and following the recede and flow of life in its serial movements. There are also optional provisions to visit sacred Maasai sites and cave paintings. Simpley, the Serengeti satisfies the most demanding imaginations of what Africa is, with its endless grassland plains filled with wildlife.

The other grand choices are on the south with Selous game reserve being the most preferred destination especially for private trekking packages. Selous Game Reserve is located South West of Dar es Salaam, and is one of the largest areas set aside for preservation anywhere in the world, totaling 54,000 Sq. Kilometers! The photographic sector of the Reserve is on the mighty Rufiji River, and contains a wide variety of different ecosystems: the wide meandering river, with its lakes and swamplands interlaced with a myriad of channels, ‘terminalia’ woodland and open plains. This spectacular setting is the home of some of Africa’s largest populations of remaining wildlife.

PKP- Kenya  safari desk

Natural Track Safaris

The natural attractions are among the best in the region, and as tourism is still being re-established, there simply aren’t the crowds found elsewhere. After years of misrule, there is a turnaround in numbers of animals especially elephants and antelopes, which were butchered by undisciplined soldiers and poachers during the reign of Idi Amin.

Currently, the Uganda Tourism is just a peaceful endeavor whose incredible activities translate to lifetime experiences. Visitors mostly go to Uganda to watch gorillas which are found in southwestern Uganda in two of the only four parks in the world where these gentle giants live. One park is Mghahinga, where chances of seeing the mountain gorillas is a bit tricky but assured, and my favorite park in Uganda, the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest where you will surely see a gorilla family during its morning nap or late afternoon siesta after a good meal.

Although gorilla watching permits are expensive with chains of protocols and formalities to follow, it is undoubtedly a worthy cause. In most cases, I prefer services of the local tour operators as they are conversant with these logistics. For instance; if you want to track the gentle giants, you have to wait in order to be put on the manifest of those who have been permitted. This is not a guarantee thou! You could be eliminated from the list on a slight suspicion of illness like flu because gorillas easily catch human diseases to which they have no immunity. That is not unfair to you buddy! Imagine how sensitive and vulnerable these cousins are to human illnesses. Just understand!

Uganda is also one of the best places in which to watch chimpanzees, man’s closest cousins. These primates are seen easily in Kibale Forest National Park and in the Budongo tropical forest where the harvesting of trees for timber is threatening their existence. There are also chimps in Chambura River Gorge in Queen Elizabeth National Park. Meanwhile an island sanctuary for chimpanzees has been set up in Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Uganda has also a number of monkey families which include the yellow baboon, which has a dog-like head, the Patas, which dwell in the savannah, four races of the vervet monkey; the blue monkey is common in most forests and the red-tailed monkey. There is de Brazza’s monkey, L’Hoest monkey in Kibale Forest National park, and Wolf’s guenon, or Hamlyn’s guenon. Grey-cheeked mangabeys are found in Kibale forest. You will also enjoy sighting the black-and-white Colobus monkey which is hunted by poachers for its beautiful coat which musicians use as a waistband during the local dances.

At a glance, from the highest mountain range in Africa, the Rwenzori Mountains; to one of the most powerful waterfalls in the world, Murchison Falls; or perhaps the highest primate density in the world, in kabale forest National park – Uganda has all this and more. It’s a beautiful country with a great deal to offer, and sooner or later the tourist hordes will ‘discover’ its delights – make sure you get there before they do.

One of these great delights of Uganda is Bwindi – A magnificent verdant swathe across the steep ridges of the Albertine Rift Valley, this ancient rainforest – one of the few in Africa to have flourished throughout the last Ice Age – is home to roughly half of the world’s mountain gorillas.

Looking deep into the expressive brown eyes of these gentle giants is surely the most exciting and emotional wildlife encounter that Africa has to offer – but we should not let it distract from Bwindi’s broader biodiversity, a result of its immense antiquity and an altitude span from 1,160 to 2,607m.

The national park has 90 mammal species, including 11 primates, of which the black-and-white colobus, with its lovely flowing white tail, is prominent. The forest birding ranks with the best in Uganda, with 23 highly localized Albertine Rift endemics present.

Bwindi can be reached from Qeen Elizabeth National Park in the north (2-3 hours), from Kabale to the south (1-2 hours), or from Kampala via Mbarara (6-8 hours). The roads meet at Butogota, 17km from the Buhoma entrance gate and 4×4 drives is recommended during the rains.

PKP- Kenia Safari desk

Natural Track Safaris

Mount Marsabit is famous for the dreamy waters of Lake Paradise which are located on its peak, for the foothills of rugged grandeur that fan out from its volcanic craters, and for the cloud forests which shelter both greater kudu and an ancient dynasty of elephants famous for their huge tusks.

Marsabit town and its sanctuaries lie atop a mountain rising sheer from the desert floor to a height of about 1707 meters. The mountain is a natural phenomenon, born out of volcanic fire and shaped by mist where its great massive ranges and undulating peaks have created its own ambient climate. Every evening, about midnight, the hot air rising from the desert floor cools and forms clinging fingers of mist, which grasp the mountain slopes, rarely releasing their grip until the late part of the morning.

On the road south from Mount Marsabit to the rocky plains the area is home to Sociable Weaver birds, which can be identified by their neater, tidier nests; Sparrow Weavers, with their “scruffier” nests; and white-bellied turacos. The area also unfolds indescribable natural phenomenon while passing through extraordinary Strangler figs in the mountain-top forest. This displays a stark contrast to the dusty track below which is lined by low, flat-topped acacias.

Many species of raptors inhabit the shaggy cliffs and the treetops around Lake Paradise and Sokorte Guda, a cliff lined bowl, which forms a natural amphitheatre in which Marsabit’s elephants parade to drink in the late afternoon. Large herds of buffalo and other ungulates join this display. Other species found on the mountain include the shy greater kudu and other antelope as well as lions and leopards.

Although the lower slopes are scorched and dry, above them is a richly forested wonderland of crater lakes and swamps, towering cliffs and giant trees, with an astounding display of wildlife. Here bird and beast dart between the tall stands of juniper and podocarpus in a scene much as wildlife filmmakers Osa and Martin Johnson recorded when they made their home at Lake Paradise, one of the crater lakes, in the 1920’s.

For an estimated 63 years, Marsabit National Park and Reserve was the home of Ahmed, patriarch of the forest, guarded from hunters seeking his mighty tusks, by a presidential decree. A model of Ahmed now stands in the National Museum in Nairobi while his scions wander the forest under the watchful eyes of the Marsabit Reserve’s rangers.

Lower down the mountain, below the forest line, groups of Borana people drive their camels to water at the singing wells. Three or four men form a human ladder down these deep shafts and with camel-hide buckets work in swift relay to bring water to the troughs above. The songs they sing while undertaking this work have earned the wells their name.

Marsabit Town is a staging post for the journey to Moyale and onwards to Ethiopia and also the beginning of an adventure, which intrepid travelers make when they cross the inhospitable Chalbi Desert to reach Lake Turkana. This shimmering and seemingly endless expanse of sand stretches for 300 kilometers to the shore of the lake of which it were once part. Even today, perhaps once in every decade, in one of the torrential downpours, which occur during a rare rainy season, it will again come into flood to form a vast but shallow lake.

From Nairobi, the reserve is reached via Nanyuki and lsiolo a distance of 620 km. The road is paved up to lsiolo leaving a distance of 270 km of very bad road that is only motorable by 4 wheel-drive vehicles during the dry season. The reserve is 2 1/2 hrs by air from Nairobi and is adequately served by a tarmac airstrip located about one kilometer from Marsabit town centre.

There is no doubt that lake paradise and the surrounding enclosures of Marsabit national reserve will soon be proclaimed world wonders that every soul will aspire to experience.

PKP- Kenya safari desk

Natural Track Safaris

Zanzibar’s coastline offers some of the best beaches in the world, but sand and surf vary depending on what side of the island you’re on. On the east coast, waves break over coral reefs and sand bars offshore, and low tide reveals small pools of starfish, small minnows, and anemones. Up north, ocean swimming is much less susceptible to the tides, and smooth beaches and white sand make for dazzling days in the sun.

Portuguese invasion and control of the Swahili Coast in the late 16th century ended the golden age of the archipelago, although the Omani Arabs returned to power less than a century later. The port city of Stone Town dominates the west coast, and although the beaches of Mangapwani, where slave caves are visible at low tide and nearby Bububu are less than half an hour’s drive away, a night or two spent on the east or north cost is well worth the extra hour it takes to drive there. That said, the Chole Island Marine Park just off Stone Town – and nearby Prison, Grave, and Snake Islands – make a refreshing day-trip and a good break from exploring the winding passageways of the old city.

On the south coast of Zanzibar lies the Menai Bay Conservation Area, a sea turtle protection area for the endangered species that come to breed on the island. Roads to the southeast coast take visitors through the Jozani Forest, home to Zanzibar’s rare Red Colobus monkeys and a number of other primate and small antelope species.

Today, many of the winding streets and high town houses of old Stone Town remain unchanged and you can walk between the sultan’s palace, the House of Wonders, the Portuguese fort and gardens, the merchants’ houses, and the Turkish baths of the old city. Day-long spice tours to working plantations offer visitors the chance to observe the cultivation of cloves, vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon, and other spices that have made the island famous.

PKP-Kenia Safari desk

Natural Track Safaris

A new tally of lowland gorillas has found massive and surprising numbers of these African primates alive and well in the Republic of Congo, Wildlife Conservation Society scientists announced.

The new census puts the number of western lowland gorillas (called great apes, along with chimpanzees, bonobos and orangutans) within two adjacent areas in the northern part of the Congo at 125,000 individuals, including infant gorillas.

Previous estimates from the 1980s placed the entire population of western lowland gorillas, which live in seven Central African nations, at fewer than 100,000 individuals. Since then, scientists thought the number would’ve at least halved due to hunting and disease but last year’s census was a surprise to many.

Western lowland gorillas tend to be a bit smaller than their mountain cousins. They also have shorter hair and longer arms.

Western lowland gorillas are one of four recognized gorilla sub-species, along with mountain gorillas, eastern lowland gorillas and Cross River gorillas. While the eastern lowland gorilla is considered endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the others are labeled “critically endangered,” which means the group faces an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.

Gorillas can climb trees, but are usually found on the ground in communities of up to 30 individuals. These troops are organized according to fascinating social structures. Troops are led by one dominant, older adult male, often called a silverback because of the swath of silver hair that adorns his otherwise dark fur. Troops also include several other young males, some females, and their offspring.

The leader organizes troop activities like eating, nesting in leaves, and moving about the group’s three-quarter- to 16-square-mile (2- to 40-square-kilometer) home range.

Those who challenge this alpha male are apt to be cowed by impressive shows of physical power. He may stand upright, throw things, make aggressive charges, and pound his huge chest while barking out powerful hoots or unleashing a frightening roar. Despite these displays and the animals’ obvious physical power, gorillas are generally calm and non-aggressive unless they are disturbed.

Female gorillas give birth to one infant after a pregnancy of nearly nine months. Unlike their powerful parents, newborns are tiny—weighing four pounds (two kilograms)—and able only to cling to their mothers’ fur. These infants ride on their mothers’ backs from the age of four months through the first two or three years of their lives.

Young gorillas, from three to six years old, remind human observers of children. Much of their day is spent in play, climbing trees, chasing one another, and swinging from branches.

In captivity, gorillas have displayed significant intelligence and have even learned simple human sign language.

In the wild, these primates are under siege. Forest loss is a twofold threat; it destroys gorilla habitat and brings hungry people who hunt gorillas for bush meat. Farming, grazing, and expanding human settlements are also shrinking the lowland gorilla’s space.

PKP- Kenia Safari desk

Natural Track Safaris

The teeth of the Bat-eared Fox are much smaller than teeth of other canid species. This is an adaptation to its insectivorous diet, insects making up as much as 80% of its food intake.Bat-eared foxes use these specialized ears to locate termites, dung beetles, rodents, birds ,eggs and sometimes fruits and other insects, which make up most of their diet. Bat-eared foxes can hear larvae chewing their way out of an underground dung beetle ball. They can also detect the sound of harvesting termites chewing on short grasses. Surviving on an all-insect diet required several adaptations in the bat-eared fox. In addition to their large and powerful ears, bat-eared foxes have specialized extra teeth for chewing up insects, and their lower jawbone is designed to open and close rapidly.

The body of the bat-eared fox is ashy gray in color with black limbs and tail. The backs of its enormous ears are also black, and it has a raccoon-like white facemask. The underside of its neck and belly are paler than the rest of its body.

Bat-eared Foxes are mostly nocturnal animals that live in small groups consisting of mated pairs and their young. The pairs live in dens and typically raise two to five pups together. Mated pairs are very social and are monogamous, Bat-eared foxes mate for life, and sometimes two females will mate with one male and share a communal den. The father is very invested in the rearing of young, and he spends a great deal of time baby-sitting. While the father is watching the cubs, the mother is free to forage for food, including insects, which are a steady food source.  Though they are low in nutrition and cannot be regurgitated for the young, they allow the mother to take in the necessary amount of food needed to produce milk for the cubs.

Bat-eared foxes are hunted by several different mammal species, including cheetahs, jackals, spotted hyenas, rock pythons, African wild dogs, and leopards. Their large, bushy tails work as a rudder when fleeing from predators in a zig-zag pattern. They are fast and good at dodging, but their best chance at escaping predation is by fleeing to their underground dens, which have several entrances and multiple chambers connected by tunnels. A bat-eared fox family may have several dens throughout their home range.

Bat-eared foxes are also preyed upon by raptors and must keep a watchful eye while foraging. Most of their foraging is done alone at night. While looking for food, these foxes walk slowly and quietly with their noses to the ground and their ears cocked forward, listening for insects.

Look for them when outdoor, usually in the morning hours, they can be seen warming up in the morning sun, before getting into their dens when it gets hot.

PKP-Kenya safari deak

Natural Track Safaris