Two New Gorilla Groups Opened Up for Tourism in Volcanoes National Park

Blog | 9/11/22

Two new habituated mountain gorilla groups (Kwisanga and Noheli) have this year been added to the list of tourism gorilla groups in the Volcanoes National Park, bringing the number of groups to 12. Kwisanga was formed on 4th May 2021 when Silverback Kigoma left Kwitonda group with 16 members. Kwisanga is comprised of 17 members including 2 Silverbacks, 3 Adult Females, 2 Blackbacks, 2 Sub-adult males, 3 Juveniles and 5 Infants. Noheli group on the other hand, was formed on 7th November 2021 when three females left Isimbi and Susa groups to join the then lone Silverback, Noheli. One of the females joined with an infant and shortly after the group was formed, another adult female had a baby. Today Noheli group is composed of 6 individuals including 1 Silverback, 3 Adult females and 2 Infants.

According to park authorities, having new groups is both great and challenging. “Additional groups boost mountain gorilla tourism revenues but it can cause infanticide as interactions increase due to home range overlap and competition for food,” says Elizabeth Nyirakaragire, Volcanoes National Park Veterinary Officer.

The International Gorilla Conservation Programme (IGCP) currently consists of Conservation International, Fauna & Flora International and the World Wide Fund for Nature. We recognise that the earth's survival is dependent on humanity's ability to maintain a healthy and balanced environment that includes all species of wildlife.