NKURINGO

NKURINGO

Gorilla Family

NKURINGO

14 MEMBERS: LAST UPDATED 31/01/2024

Nkuringo group is found in Nkuringo tourism sector of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (BINP) and is led by Silverback Rwamutwe.  Nkuringo was the first gorilla group to be habituated in the entire southern sector of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park since 1997. Initially, the group had 17 members but over time a couple of group dynamics have taken place including dispersal of some members, births, and deaths too. The group faced a very sad incidence where the then dominant Silverback Rafiki was murdered by poachers. Since then, Rwamutwe undertook leadership. The group is currently composed of 14 members including 2 Silverbacks, 2 Blackbacks, 6 Adult females, 1 Juvenile and 3 infants.  Nkuringo group is also the first gorilla group to record the birth of twins in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in December 2004. The group is famously known for foraging outside the park in the buffer zone for up to 98% of their time. This practice led to the displacement of the former local human settlers in the frontline villages of Nkuringo sector to create a buffer zone to minimize human-wildlife interface. Unfortunately, this displacement followed an outbreak of Scabies in Nkuringo group in December 2000.

  • 2

    Silverbacks

  • 6

    Adult females

  • 2

    Blackbacks

  • 00

    Sub-adult females

  • 1

    Juveniles

  • 3

    Infants

About mountain gorillas

The eastern gorilla is a large hominid with a large head, broad chest, and long arms. It has a flat nose with large nostrils. The face, hands, feet and breast are bald. The fur is mainly black, but adult males have a silvery “saddle” on their back. When the gorilla gets older, the hair on the saddle of the back becomes white, much like the gray hair of elderly people. This is why the older males are called silverbacks. Grauer’s gorilla has a shorter, thicker, deep black fur, while the mountain gorilla has a more bluish color. The mountain gorilla is slightly smaller and lighter than Grauer’s gorilla, but still larger and heavier than the western lowland gorilla and the Cross River gorilla. Males are much larger than females. A full-grown male eastern gorilla typically weighs 140–205.5 kg (309–453 lb) and stands 1.7 m (5.6 ft) upright.

The goal of the International Gorilla Conservation Programme (IGCP) is to ensure the conservation of mountain gorillas and their regional afromontane forest habitat in Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Situated in South-Western Uganda, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is a large primeval forest at the edge of the Albertine Rift and the western branch of the East African Rift, at elevations ranging from 1,160 to 2,607 metres. The majestic forest is home to half of the world's population of mountain gorillas.