Kinigi is located on the outskirts of the Volcanoes National Park in Musanze District. This year, 19 baby gorillas will be named as part of continued efforts to rally for the conservation of the endangered species. The 2017 Kwita Izina is the 13th edition. The ceremony is derived from a Rwandan tradition where the community gathers to celebrate and name a newborn. There has been growing concern from environment activists that growing human encroachment is threatening depletion on biodiversity, including the endangered mountain gorillas. According to Animal Fact Guide, a resource for on wildlife, mountain gorillas, the strong apes inhabiting Africa's volcanic slopes, have few natural predators. Yet due to unfavorable human activity, such as poaching, civil war, and habitat destruction, the mountain gorilla, a subspecies of the eastern gorilla, has become "the most endangered" type of gorilla. Currently, the mountain gorilla's habitat is limited to protected national parks in two regions of Africa. One group is spread over three national parks in the Virunga transboundary region Rwanda, DR Congo, and Uganda. The other group lives in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda. About 800 mountain gorillas are left in the entire world. Rwanda is home to about 400 of them with the rest shared between the other two borders, though they all freely move along the borders. Some 239 mountain gorillas have been named in the 12 ceremonies since the first Kwita Izina in 2005. Is the first Kwita Izina the gorilla population has grown by 26.6 per cent.
Mountain gorillas contribute up to 90 percent of government revenues from national parks. In 2016 alone, Rwanda earned $404 million from tourism. The target this year is $444 million. Text by allafrica.com |
Jean BizimanaHe is a freelancer professional photojournalist .based in Kigali Rwanda East Africa. RWANDAN PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHERPORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY
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October 2019
WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY
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