GORILLA CONSERVATION WORKING

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the global lead for assessing the conservation status of animals and plants worldwide, has modified the category of mountain gorilla from critically endangered to endangered. Gorilla Doctors’ life-saving veterinary care to ill and injured mountain gorillas has proven to be one of the most essential factors in their recovery, and from less than 250 gorillas when they started to 1004 gorillas now, this announcement is testament to the work this group is doing in literally saving a species. Australia’s Adventure World Travel and guests travelling with them support the work of Gorilla Doctors via experiences included on Rwanda Gorilla itineraries. Mountain gorillas live in only two populations across Rwanda, DRC and Uganda, one in the Virunga Massif and the other in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Uganda. Although the status change is welcome news, the IUCN says that the survival of mountain gorillas remains precarious, and their status could easily return to critical. Travel organisations and visitors to the region all have a responsibility towards conservation efforts. With the majority of mountain gorillas habituated to the close proximity of humans, the significant risk of disease transmission from people in the forest both legally and illegally is ever-present. Adventure World Travel and its not-for-profit organisation, The TreadRight Foundation, work in collaboration with World Animal Protection to promote only observational wildlife experiences and make travel to these regions sustainable for the long-term. Guests on the Adventure World Travel’s ‘Gorillas Through the Mist’ tailor-made trip have an option to add on a half day to meet the Gorilla Doctors and learn more about their work. adventureworld.com.au