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Kahungye Gorilla Family Trekking in Bwindi Rushaga Sector

Kahungye Gorilla Group

The Kahungye family is named after the Kahungye hills in Bwindi, where the group lives. At the time of habituation in 2011, it had 27 individuals, including 3 silverbacks, making a split likely. Later, silverback Busingye left with some members to form his own family.

Today, the Kahungye family has 13 members and is led by silverback Gwigi, whose name means “door” in the local language. One of the silverbacks died after falling from a tree about 30–40 meters high and hitting his head.

The Busingye family, which split from Kahungye, now has 9 members and is led by Busingye. He is known for his ambitious and aggressive behavior, often fighting with other groups to take more members.

Gorilla habituation is the process of helping gorillas get used to human presence. It takes 2 to 3 years and involves rangers and researchers visiting a family daily until it can be opened for tourism.

Habituation is done in the Rushaga sector of Bwindi. Only 4 tourists are allowed per day, and the experience gives visitors 4 hours with the gorillas. This is longer than trekking, which allows just 1 hour.

Gorilla trekking requires physical fitness and the right gear for hiking in the rain-forest. Essentials include strong hiking boots, raincoats, jackets, warm clothes, garden gloves, hats, sunscreen, insect repellent, plenty of drinking water, and energy snacks.

Gorilla trekking is possible all year, but the best time is during the dry months of June to September and December to February. Trails are less muddy and easier to hike during these seasons.

Mountain gorillas live in groups of 5 to 30 individuals, led by an alpha male called a silverback. The silverback controls all group activities such as feeding, resting, nesting, and mating. He has the right to mate with all the females in the group.

When baby gorillas are born, they are very vulnerable, just like human babies. They depend completely on their mothers and breastfeed until about 4 years old, when they start eating vegetation. Young ones also share nests with their mothers until they are old enough to make their own.

The diet of mountain gorillas includes fruits, bamboo shoots, leaves, stems, bark, and roots. They sometimes add ants, insects, and termites. Gorillas have also been observed using tools, such as sticks to collect ants from holes, showing their intelligence.

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