Uganda Wildlife Authority has begun the process of habituating two more gorilla families in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The habituation, which started in November 2009, was announced in September 2009 by the UWA Executive Director, Mr. Moses Mapesa during the launch of the Nshongi gorilla family in the same park.

The two gorilla families are going by the names of Kahungye and Oruzogo. Kahungye derives its name from a hill with the same name which is in the home range of this gorilla family, while Oruzogo derives its name from a plant called Oruzogoto (in the local dialect), which is common in the area where this family ranges.

Habituation of the gorilla families will increase to 8 the number of gorilla families being used for tourism in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. With each family being allocated 8 gorilla tracking permits per day, the new additions will increase the number of gorilla tracking permits to 64 per day.

It is estimated that the Kahungye gorilla family has about 19 individuals, three of whom are silverbacks. Oruzogo is estimated to have 15 individuals.

The decision to habituate two more gorilla families was necessitated by the high demand for gorilla tracking permits as well as the need to increase the benefits to the local communities from gorilla tourism such as employment, access to markets and exposure.

A Habituation Impact Assessment (HIA) was last year jointly carried out with local NGOs to determine the viability of habituating the two families. The communities in Kabale and Kisoro Districts are excited by the prospects of extra revenue that will accrue from the new additions. Uganda Wildlife Authority pays a Community Levy of US$5 on each gorilla permit sold, and this is given to the districts of Kanungu, Kabale and Kisoro which immediately neighbor the two gorilla parks (Bwindi Impenetrable and Mgahinga Gorilla National Parks).

With about 360 mountain gorillas, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park has over half of the world’s mountain gorilla population. It is also popular with bird watchers because of its pristine surroundings which are attractive to large populations of birds. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.