Where the Trail Leads : Tales of a Female Mountain Gorilla Tracker!
Blog | 3/10/25
Scenic views of tropical rainforest identify Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, home to almost half of the global mountain gorilla population. Being a ranger, guide or tracker here means venturing the rugged paths, dense vegetation, thick terrain, steep slopes and heavy rainfall daily! To any ordinary person, these conditions could be challenging, but not to Gloria Naheru, a 25-year-old female ranger-tracker in Nkuringo Southern sector of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Gloria’s story is one of dedication and resilience with one goal– ensuring the habituated mountain gorillas’ location is known!
“Before I begun this job, I was severely discouraged by family and friends! They often related the ranger-tracker job to masculinity and strength, being a small girl made them question my ability to handle the task,” narrates Gloria.
Four years down the road, Gloria has done a perfect job as tracker – a job that is way harder than being an ordinary ranger. Trackers do the hardest part of searching and locating habituated mountain gorilla groups ahead of the tourists/visiting teams. As if that is not enough, trackers leave the gorilla groups last, after all the visitors have departed!
“I leave for the field at 7:00 am and head towards where I left the gorilla group the previous day. This acts as my starting point to locate the group,” says Gloria. At the starting point, Gloria and her colleagues move forward and search for a fresh gorilla nest, after confirming that it is indeed a nest, the team follows the fresh morning trail to find the gorillas. Confirming the group requires counting the number of the nests.
Locating the gorillas could take 30 minutes on a lucky day but can take as long as 3 hours, depending on gorilla movement. “Gorilla movement is usually determined by food availability but also other factors like interactions with other groups contribute,” says Gloria.
Gloria recalls a scenario she trekked for 3 hours searching for Christmas group only to find out that the group had interacted with Bushaho hence moving as far as 2 kms to avoid further interactions! Apart from trekking long distances, Gloria’s work is also challenged by heavy rains that often ruin the trails. “With much rain, we often can’t tell if it is a fresh trail or not! The fecal material is rained on and looks fresh, which becomes confusing,” she says.
Despite the challenges, Gloria is passionate about her job! “Of course, some days are great while others are challenging but I am not about to give up,” says Gloria. Gloria’s best day at work was when she witnessed a gorilla birth in the wild! “An adult female from Rushegura group had a baby as I witnessed! This was thrilling and a beautiful memory I will hold on to forever,” says Gloria.
Gloria’s worst day was when she failed to locate Kanyonyi group, following an interaction with an unknown group. “It was so disappointing, the tourists were not able to track the group and that frustrated me,” says Gloria.
Despite the challenges, Gloria appreciates her job and encourages young ladies to join the profession.
“Being a tracker is a way to bond and appreciate nature, especially the endangered mountain gorillas. On a personal basis, my job has enabled me to support my family,” says Gloria.
