Friday, April 8, 2011

Gorilla Naming Ceremony

The success of gorilla conservation in Uganda and Rwanda has led to increased revenue from mountain gorilla safari to both these countries. In Rwanda this success led to the initiation of a ceremony; in 2005, the Rwanda office of Tourism and National parks officially launched a ceremony; "Kwita Izina", a baby gorilla naming event equivalent to the cultural ceremonies the people use when naming their new born babies. That is how important the then head of the body charged with protecting wildlife especially the conservation of mountain gorillas viewed the birth of these endangered species. It was officially inaugurated by His Excellence Paul Kagame the president of the Republic of Rwanda when two baby gorillas born to the same mother were Christened in a grand ceremony making the birth of the first gorillas born in the wild since the conservation efforts began.

Since then many dignitaries, including Hollywood stars, ambassadors, renown people from well known television channels like Discovery and Animal Planet have since graced these wonderful event. During the events many people from within Rwanda and the international community gather in a what the ORTPN; Rwanda Office of Tourism and National parks terms as a celebration of the conservation efforts and community development success. The event is marked with great cultural performances such as the graceful Kinyarwanda dance with priests and the press in great numers.

Conservation has led to the growth of tourism in Rwanda enabling gorilla tracking, wildlife protection and increased revenue. This is also true for Uganda unlike the Democratic Republic of Congo which is still have political issues in the eastern region where the mountain gorillas found around its border with Uganda and Rwanda.

However in Uganda, the conservation efforts are being set back with the increasing need of land for cultivation to support the increasing population and the allocation of wetlands and protected areas to investors.

For your gorilla safari to Uganda and Rwanda there are number of tour operators that can arrange for you to track these gentle, majestic giants that number less than 800 in the wild. The money from these gorilla tours enable the respective governments ensure the protection of these endangered species of primates and also the development of the communities around the protected areas in these regions.

For more information on Rwanda gorilla naming ceremony

Your can visit some of these sites for :

For accommodation options in East Africa.
  1. Uganda safari lodges
  2. Kenya hotels
  3. Tanzania hotels