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Farewell Rafiki
Mountain gorillas live in the volcanic Virunga mountain range between Uganda, Rwanda, and the Congo. For years, population growth in the region caused a large amount of forest to be cleared for cultivation and livestock, reducing gorilla habitat considerably and causing clashes between farmers and gorillas. Why protect a gorilla and the forest when people are hungry and need to cultivate fertile land?
For years, gorillas were declared a critically endangered species. Their case was made famous in 1988 by the movie "Gorillas in the Mist" based on the story of Dian Fossey, who, for protecting this delicate ecosystem, was killed by poachers.
Currently, there are 18 mountain gorilla groups that can be visited in Bwindi.
Two poachers were looking for something to eat, came across Rafiki and in a skirmish, a spear killed one of Uganda's most famous gorillas and, with it, one of the region's major sources of income
In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, two poachers killed Rafiki, one of Uganda's most famous mountain gorillas, by spearing him through the chest. But, in reality, Rafiki is dead because of that same pandemic.
Rafiki's death ("friend" in the Swahili language) occurs under the same circumstances as Dr. Fossey's—the difficult balance between conservation and the local economy. When a population needs resources and has them at hand, conflict arises as to why white men say that a gorilla's life is worth more than theirs. This is the great dilemma of conservation models in Africa. It has been very sadly demonstrated that as long as there is no balance between benefits to the local community and the ecosystem, poaching and conflict will continue.
Uganda was committed to the abolition of hunting throughout its territory and the creation of a model of sustainability and development based on tourism. The idea had already been tested in neighboring countries such as Kenya and was working well. The creation of the Bwindi National Park provided a protected territory for the gorillas.
In Uganda, a system of quotas and visitor permits was established where each person wishing to access Bwindi, should pay $600. In addition, each lodge, hotel or camp that wanted to operate in the national park, must also pay a fixed amount for each tourist, to the local community (called "community fees" about $ 100 per tourist) and a fee to the government for the operating license in the form of taxes.
In addition, they immediately realized that the best guides to enter the area were the poachers themselves, as they were excellent trackers and knew every inch of the mountains. Thus, overnight, their skills were one of the successes of the conservation model.
The gorillas live in family groups of between 10 and 40 members related to each other with an alpha male at the head, like Rafiki, the famous silverback. There are currently 18 groups in Bwindi that can be visited. The gorillas first have to be accustomed to human presence throughout a process that takes about two years.
A group of gorillas is visited by 6 to 8 visitors each day, at approximately the same time with a specialized guide, trackers, and national park rangers.
Visits to the gorillas allow a large part of the population to be watched over and protected by their visitors in the form of tourists
I've visited more than 70 countries and traveled through some of the most remote corners of the planet, but few experiences have been as transformative as watching a baby gorilla sleep in their mother's arms or having Rafiki give me a "gentle" push, making me fall straight into the mud, as he made his way through the thick undergrowth of the jungle.
In March 2020, the entire world shut down as people locked themselves in their homes, and the tourists, guardians of the gorillas, disappeared overnight. As a result, the economy of an entire region vanished, causing many families, whose income depended on tourism, to have to hunt to survive... Where is hunting guaranteed? In Bwindi National Park.
On June 12, 2020, two poachers were looking for something to eat, when they ran into Rafiki, and in a skirmish, a spear killed one of Uganda's most famous gorillas, and with it one of the region's major sources of income.
Gorilla cubs are dependent on their mothers for the first 4 years. of life
Gonzalo Gimeno with two rangers during his visit to Bwindi National Park in Uganda
Were the poachers aware of the value that Rafiki represents for the whole community? Are we aware of the social and ecological impact that our vacations in Africa can have? Taking a photo of a mountain gorilla for Instagram may seem like an empty action, but, in reality, that photo is allowing both the gorillas and the people who live in the area, to coexist and generate a way of life based on true sustainability.
Rafiki was 25 years old when he died and was the leader of the Nkuringo group consisting of 17 members. It was the first group to be accustomed to human presence in 1997 and soon became the major source of prosperity for the region. The group is being monitored by the UWA (Uganda Wildlife Authority) who claim that there is a possibility that the group could be controlled by a new wild silverback, or disintegrate, in both cases preventing visits from much-needed tourists.
Rafiki was the leader of the Nkuringo group of 17 gorillas.
Life expectancy of gorillas is between 35-40 years in the wild.
From here, I invite you to think about Africa on your next trip with a new perspective, that of real and direct sustainability for the protection of, in this case, a gorilla that when it looks you straight in the eye, makes you feel that humanity.
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