While gorilla safaris are obviously the most sought after primate experiences, the effort to protect these critically endangered animals in the African continent today is the main challenge since protection efforts started. These amazing animals are found in only three nations of Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and their survival are at high risk of extinction. Today, they are not more than 900 mountain gorillas that are left on earth and they are still threatened by human activities like human encroachment on their habitat, poaching, and unlawful trade, the spread of human infectious illnesses and others making them a couple of most critically endangered primates on the planet.

Endeavors to protect their lives in the wild, Dian Fossey the acclaimed American zoologist set up a research center between Mount Bisoke and Karisoke to help research on the most proficient way to protect and monitor the mountain gorillas from annihilation. She battled against poaching however shockingly was mysteriously murdered and her body was buried beside her research center which today features among the most huge attractions in Rwanda.

Dian Fossey in light of the fact that a believer that gorilla tourism is an imperative criterion which can encourage endangered apes protection and conservation to gain foreign exchange from mountain gorilla trekking safaris, helping in subsidizing protection programs in most of the protected areas where these unique creatures live. It is of almost certainly that gorilla safaris have turned into main attractions that produce foreign exchange in central and East Africa.

The governments of these destinations where mountain gorillas are found also have started an annual sharing plan in which a specific amount of income collected from gorilla tourism is returned to neighboring communities of the parks as a way to support local projects helping to boost their livelihoods.

With regards to gorilla trekking, gorilla permits are a must requirement to have for every tourist who plans to attempt this lifetime experience and they come in various amounts depending on the destination you going to visit. In Uganda, gorilla trekking permits are obtainable at $600 per individual, in Rwanda are sold at $1500 per traveler and $400 per trekker in DR Congo.

How are mountain gorillas being protected?

Strict guidelines and rules have been set for visitors to as they play a major role in the protection of these endangered animals in the wild and their environment from human infringement. For each visit to the gorillas, travelers must go to a briefing from a head ranger guide on the best way to behave during the trek and with the gorillas. Among other rules, tourists must keep a distance of around 7 meters away from gorillas. Other rules incorporate no drinking, no eating or even smoking while in the jungle, you also not allowed to visit gorillas when you sick, don’t touch gorillas and others. These precautionary measures are a must to be observed by any tourist on gorilla safari to Africa and they play an extraordinary job in preserving gorillas from the increasing dangers particularly from the spread of human infectious diseases.

Today the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) is using tourism police to protect wildlife reserve and park boundaries from encroachers and given the profit-sharing activity mountain gorilla and wildlife preservation has turned into a public obligation in which local resident doesn’t conflict with habitat conservation where these critically endangered primates flourish from. Gorilla trekking has anyway featured as a genuine manageable tourism adventure given that it has turned into a general effort not to destabilize the habitat where most of these animals live.

UWA also is trying to limit the number of tourists going to see a single gorilla group, every gorilla group is visited by 8 tourists every day and they are allowed to start with mountain gorillas for strictly one hour to take photos and even observe how these animals do their daily activities.

Taking everything into account, through gorilla trekking ecotourism can be supported and boosted in numerous points of view given that this adventure features as the most looked for after experience in the world today. What’s more, there has been some steady increment in the number of mountain gorillas compared to the past time however more conservation efforts are as yet expected to guarantee that they are protected from extinction.