Monday, March 27, 2023
  • Login
198 Japan News
No Result
View All Result
  • HOME
  • BUSINESS NEWS
  • VIDEO NEWS
  • FEATURED NEWS
    • JAPAN US TRADE NEWS
    • JAPAN EU NEWS
    • JAPAN UK NEWS
    • JAPAN INDIA NEWS
    • JAPAN RUSSIA NEWS
    • JAPAN GULF NATIONS NEWS
    • JAPAN AFRICA NEWS
    • JAPAN EGYPT NEWS
    • JAPAN NIGERIA NEWS
    • JAPAN MEXICO NEWS
    • JAPAN BRAZIL NEWS
    • JAPAN THAILAND NEWS
    • JAPAN INDONESIA NEWS
  • CRYPTO
  • POLITICAL
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • JAPAN AGRICULTURE NEWS
    • JAPAN MANUFACTURE NEWS
    • JAPAN AGRICULTURE NEWS
    • JAPAN IMMIGRATION NEWS
    • JAPAN UNIVERSITY NEWS
    • JAPAN EDUCATION NEWS
    • JAPAN VENTURE CAPITAL NEWS
    • JAPAN JOINT VENTURE NEWS
    • JAPAN BUSINESS HELP
    • JAPAN PARTNESHIPS
  • ASK IKE LEMUWA
  • CONTACT
198 Japan News
  • HOME
  • BUSINESS NEWS
  • VIDEO NEWS
  • FEATURED NEWS
    • JAPAN US TRADE NEWS
    • JAPAN EU NEWS
    • JAPAN UK NEWS
    • JAPAN INDIA NEWS
    • JAPAN RUSSIA NEWS
    • JAPAN GULF NATIONS NEWS
    • JAPAN AFRICA NEWS
    • JAPAN EGYPT NEWS
    • JAPAN NIGERIA NEWS
    • JAPAN MEXICO NEWS
    • JAPAN BRAZIL NEWS
    • JAPAN THAILAND NEWS
    • JAPAN INDONESIA NEWS
  • CRYPTO
  • POLITICAL
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • JAPAN AGRICULTURE NEWS
    • JAPAN MANUFACTURE NEWS
    • JAPAN AGRICULTURE NEWS
    • JAPAN IMMIGRATION NEWS
    • JAPAN UNIVERSITY NEWS
    • JAPAN EDUCATION NEWS
    • JAPAN VENTURE CAPITAL NEWS
    • JAPAN JOINT VENTURE NEWS
    • JAPAN BUSINESS HELP
    • JAPAN PARTNESHIPS
  • ASK IKE LEMUWA
  • CONTACT
No Result
View All Result
198 Japan News
No Result
View All Result
Home JAPAN AGRICULTURE NEWS

Too many gorillas? The great apes hunt for space in Rwanda.

by 198 Japan News
December 25, 2021
in JAPAN AGRICULTURE NEWS
Reading Time: 5 mins read
A A
0
Too many gorillas? The great apes hunt for space in Rwanda.
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

[ad_1]

Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda – A huge male silverback gorilla nibbles on a tasty bamboo shoot before farting loudly, oblivious to his neighbor — farmers working fertile fields a stone’s throw away.

With hundreds of resident mountain gorillas, Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda is a conservation triumph. But this resurgence is not without consequences, as the majestic creatures now struggle for space to grow and thrive.

Straddling Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Virunga range includes eight volcanoes in the heart of Africa’s densely populated Great Lakes region and is, along with Uganda’s Bwindi Forest, the world’s only habitat for mountain gorillas.

Officials at the Rwandan park are proud of its success in regenerating the primate population.

“In the census we did in 2010, these mountain gorillas were 880; in 2015 we did another census that showed we have 1,063” in the Virunga massif and the Bwindi park, said ranger Felicien Ntezimana before leading a hike into the mist-covered forest where the animals live.

Thanks to this revival, the mountain gorilla, known for its thick, shiny fur, is now listed as “endangered” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, while other great apes remain “critically endangered.”

A female adult mountain gorilla at Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda | A FEMALE ADULT MOUNTAIN GORILLA LOOKS ON AT THE VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK, RWANDA, ON OCTOBER 29, 2021. - WITH HUNDREDS OF MOUNTAIN GORILLAS IN RESIDENCE, THE VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK IN RWANDA IS A CONSERVATION TRIUMPH. BUT THIS RESURGENCE IS NOT WITHOUT CONSEQUENCES, AS THE MAJESTIC CREATURES NOW STRUGGLE FOR SPACE TO GROW AND THRIVE. THANKS TO THIS REVIVAL, THE MOUNTAIN GORILLA, KNOWN FOR ITS THICK, SHINY FUR, IS NOW LISTED AS
A female adult mountain gorilla at Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda | AFP-JIJI

The animal has come a long way since the 1980s, when decades of poaching caused its population to plunge to just 250 across the Virunga range, and famed American primatologist Dian Fossey was murdered in the Rwandan park allegedly because of her anti-poaching efforts.

Stronger security measures and efforts to win over local villagers have helped turn the mountain gorilla’s fortunes around.

Today, 10% of the cost of each $1,500 park ticket goes towards community projects while 5% is allocated to a compensation fund for villagers.

Far from being hated and feared as they were in the past, the gorillas are now seen as key to the community’s financial future, says Jean-Baptiste Ndeze, an elderly inhabitant of Musanze, a town bordering the park.

“Tourists throw money at them, which … comes back to us in the form of food, shelter and good livelihood,” he said.

Infanticide and disease

While the tourism sector contributed $25 million to Rwanda’s economy pre-pandemic, the park’s success in conservation has led to unforeseen consequences.

Twenty-five years ago, the Rwandan authorities were monitoring about 100 apes in the forest. Today, about 380 gorillas call it home, according to an official count.

As a result of tourism and interaction with researchers, the primates are accustomed to humans, and they are increasingly unafraid to venture into populated areas as their own habitat grows cramped.

Prosper Uwingeli, head of Volcanoes National Park | AFP-JIJI
Prosper Uwingeli, head of Volcanoes National Park | AFP-JIJI

“We have seen gorillas more frequently coming out of the park and looking for food outside … also they tend to move further away from the edge of the park,” said Felix Ndagijimana, who heads the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund in Rwanda.

The results can be dire.

The powerfully built animal — an adult male can weigh up to 200 kilograms — is vulnerable to human diseases such as influenza, pneumonia and Ebola.

Rising gorilla numbers have also raised the likelihood of fights between the primates which can often prove fatal for the species’ youngest members.

After seeing population growth slow a decade ago, Ndagijimana and his colleagues carried out a study which showed a staggering fivefold increase in infanticides.

“Infanticides are a big problem because it can have a huge negative impact in the gorillas’ population increase,” he said.

Displacement

The problem is much more pronounced in Rwanda than in neighboring countries.

Only one gorilla family lives on the Ugandan side of the Virunga range, while the Congolese park is “huge” compared with the Rwandan forest, says Benjamin Mugabukomeye from the International Gorilla Conservation Program, a regional organization.

Volcanoes National Park tour guides attend a briefing before a trek. | AFP-JIJI
Volcanoes National Park tour guides attend a briefing before a trek. | AFP-JIJI

In a bid to address the issue, Rwanda plans to extend its park, adding 23% more surface area over the next decade.

The ambitious project is due to start next year and will displace around 4,000 farmer households.

“It’s a process we are undertaking very, very carefully,” park director Prosper Uwingeli said, adding that officials were conducting feasibility studies and designing detailed relocation sites.

The authorities intend to compensate the displaced families and house them in newly constructed “model villages” — with a prototype already visible in Musanze.

In addition to a huge school and a poultry farm, the village includes immaculate, fully furnished brick apartments — with the government insisting that the move will benefit displaced farmers.

Although they may have little choice but to comply with an authoritarian state, some families living on the edge of the park are worried.

“This place is very fertile and it has enabled me to feed my family,” one potato farmer said.

The gorillas “are not a problem,” he said, but he complained that “where they want to relocate us, the soil is not as fertile.”

In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.
By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.

SUBSCRIBE NOW

You might also like

Russian missiles hit Ukraine’s Odesa port, key to grain deal

Ukraine’s grain challenge involves clearing mines, finding ships and trusting Putin

Is the buzz around ‘hot’ sectors and billion-dollar valuations missing the big picture of ed-tech?

PHOTO GALLERY (CLICK TO ENLARGE)

[ad_2]

Source link

Tags: apesgorillasgreathuntRwandaspace
Share30Tweet19

Recommended For You

Russian missiles hit Ukraine’s Odesa port, key to grain deal

by 198 Japan News
July 23, 2022
0
Russian missiles hit Ukraine’s Odesa port, key to grain deal

Kyiv – Russian missiles struck Ukraine’s key Black Sea port of Odesa on Saturday, officials said, in an attack Kyiv described as a “spit in the face” of...

Read more

Ukraine’s grain challenge involves clearing mines, finding ships and trusting Putin

by 198 Japan News
July 22, 2022
0
Ukraine’s grain challenge involves clearing mines, finding ships and trusting Putin

Ukraine finally secured a deal aimed at restarting crucial Black Sea grain exports that have been crippled by Russia’s invasion. But getting them going won’t be easy. Government...

Read more

Is the buzz around ‘hot’ sectors and billion-dollar valuations missing the big picture of ed-tech?

by 198 Japan News
July 21, 2022
0
Is the buzz around ‘hot’ sectors and billion-dollar valuations missing the big picture of ed-tech?

A teacher teaches face to face, an online class after schools reopened at Vidya Bal Bhawan Senior Secondary School, Mayur Vihar on February 7, 2022 in New Delhi,...

Read more

Infy, Tech Mahindra et al. have dipped their toes in metaverse waters. Can they cash in on the mania?

by 198 Japan News
July 19, 2022
0
Infy, Tech Mahindra et al. have dipped their toes in metaverse waters. Can they cash in on the mania?

The history of India’s USD230 billion IT services businesses has mostly been that of playing catch up with global peers, including Accenture, Capgemini, IBM.Often India’s IT sector watchers...

Read more

Unicorn on a bike: how Rapido fought Ola and Uber to win big in small rides

by 198 Japan News
July 18, 2022
0
Unicorn on a bike: how Rapido fought Ola and Uber to win big in small rides

Representative ImageSynopsisThe latest Swiggy-led funding round put Rapido’s valuation around USD830 million. This is impressive for a startup that survived on just USD2 million in the first three...

Read more
Next Post
Japan professor creates 'tele-taste' TV screen | WION Edge

Japan professor creates 'tele-taste' TV screen | WION Edge

Bus or train? World's first dual-mode vehicle debuts in Japan

Bus or train? World's first dual-mode vehicle debuts in Japan

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
FTX to Help Voyager Customers, CEO Says Firm Willing to Deploy ‘Hundreds of Millions’ to Help Crypto Industry – Bitcoin News

FTX to Help Voyager Customers, CEO Says Firm Willing to Deploy ‘Hundreds of Millions’ to Help Crypto Industry – Bitcoin News

July 24, 2022
California governor declares emergency over wildfire near Yosemite

California governor declares emergency over wildfire near Yosemite

July 24, 2022
China accuses Japan of interfering in its internal affairs on Taiwan question

China accuses Japan of interfering in its internal affairs on Taiwan question

July 24, 2022
Kyodo News Digest: July 24, 2022

Kyodo News Digest: July 24, 2022

July 24, 2022
With an eye on China, Seoul seeks to prevent tech leaks

With an eye on China, Seoul seeks to prevent tech leaks

July 23, 2022
Brands of Baseball Gloves

Brands of Baseball Gloves

July 23, 2022
198 Japan News

198 Japan News will provide the latest news update as the government facing a growing challenging in preventing Japan from breaking apart along ethnic and religious lines.

198massmedia Group. USA. 3821 Dominion Drive, Dumfries, USA. 22026.

Toll Free 1 888 642 8433.
Contact: info@198japannews.com

LATEST UPDATES

FTX to Help Voyager Customers, CEO Says Firm Willing to Deploy ‘Hundreds of Millions’ to Help Crypto Industry – Bitcoin News

California governor declares emergency over wildfire near Yosemite

China accuses Japan of interfering in its internal affairs on Taiwan question

Kyodo News Digest: July 24, 2022

With an eye on China, Seoul seeks to prevent tech leaks

Brands of Baseball Gloves

UPDATE 1-France tells Iran it’s disappointed at lack of progress over nuclear talks

Neymar declares wish to stay at Paris Saint Germain

RECOMMENDED

No Content Available

Copyright © 2021 198 Japan News.

No Result
View All Result
  • Browse the latest updates from Japan
  • Landing Page
  • Buy JNews
  • Support Forum
  • Contact Us

Copyright © 2021 198 Japan News.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In