Jasper Doest Captures Uganda’s New Gorilla Census
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- Bwindi Impenetrable National Park shelters nearly half of the world’s remaining mountain gorillas and over 400 plant species, making it one of Africa’s most biologically diverse rainforests.
- Rafiki Jr. is under the watchful eye of Rwamutwe, the dominant silverback of the Nkuringo group, after the original Rafiki was killed by a poacher in 2020, underscoring ongoing poaching threats.
- Female mountain gorillas give birth only once every four to five years, and with fewer than 1,100 individuals left, each infant is crucial for the species’ survival.
- Tourists pay $800 (£590) for a one‑hour permit to visit a single gorilla family, with a maximum of eight people allowed, highlighting the high economic value of gorilla tourism.
- Kikobero village and over 50,000 people live along the park’s borders, depending on the forest’s rainfall, soils, and natural resources for their livelihoods.
- Jasper Doest captured the latest gorilla census in Uganda, documenting the numbers and individual gorillas in Bwindi.
Why it matters: The census gives conservationists concrete numbers to monitor a species with fewer than 1,100 individuals, while the $800 tourism permits generate vital income for the park and the 50,000 nearby residents who depend on its resources; the loss of Rafiki in 2020 underscores the ongoing poaching risk that threatens these gains.
