Doing "goangutans" in Rwanda

Kigali, September 25 (Xinhua) -- The Rwandan government held a naming ceremony for mountain gorillas at the Convention and Exhibition Center in the capital Kigali on the 24th, inviting wildlife protectors, cultural and sports celebrities, nature photographers, and frontline medical workers in the prevention and control of the new crown epidemic to name 24 mountain gorillas, demonstrating Rwanda's efforts to protect rare mountain gorillas and their living environment.

In 2005, Rwanda held its first mountain gorilla naming ceremony, and more than 300 baby gorillas have been named so far. The naming ceremony for mountain gorillas is an important element of Rwanda's strategy to conserve natural resources and to further expand the role of tourism in its national transformation.

Affected by the epidemic, this year's ceremony was still conducted in the form of an online video, in which Rwandan President Kagame, the head of the tourism department of the Rwanda Development Agency and a number of overseas celebrities sent their blessings to the mountain gorillas.

This is a mountain gorillas photographed on September 22 in volcanoes national park in northwestern Rwanda. (Photo by Xinhua news agency reporter Ji Li)

Mountain gorillas live in the rainforests of the Virunga Mountains on the border of Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. According to official Rwandan figures, there are currently just over 1,000 wild mountain gorillas in the world, and there are 22 families of gorillas living in the Volcanoes National Park in northwestern Rwanda.

Adult male mountain gorillas are strong, weighing up to 170 kilograms and reaching a height of 1.8 meters. They prefer to live in groups, with up to 40 members of a "extended family" of mountain gorillas.

Arira Kagruka, Acting Chief Tourism Officer of the Rwanda Development Agency, said: "Although the epidemic has severely impacted Rwanda's tourism industry, guarding mountain gorillas and promoting the transformation of the countryside near volcanoes national park remain important tasks for Rwanda's national development. Kagruka said that in difficult times, special thanks are given to researchers, environmental organizations and investors for their continued support in guarding mountain gorillas.

To celebrate the naming ceremony for mountain gorillas, in the early morning of September 22, Rwanda's Development Agency organized media reporters to experience the country's signature project, Tracking Mountain Gorillas, in volcanoes national park to gain insight into the country's efforts to protect life and the environment. Guide Ignac told reporters: "We are tracking the 'Muhoza' family, which is also the leader of the 'family' - the name of a male gorilla, and there are several female gorillas and multiple cubs living with it, a total of 13 members." ”

After an hour and a half of jungle trekking in the rain, the reporter finally saw two huge black gorillas lying in a meadow, one of which hid a little guy in his arms, and he popped his head out of his mother's arms from time to time and looked out curiously. A few minutes later, the little guy climbed onto the back of the mother gorilla, who got up and carried the little guy to find the other family members. Subsequently, the reporter saw the family boss "Muhoza" lying leisurely on the ground, and some female gorillas and cubs played around it or went up the tree to find something to eat. When they had fun, they excitedly slapped their chests with their two forefoots, making a "thumping" sound. As several of the mountain gorillas approached reporters, Ignatz taught us to keep making "cough cough" sounds like clearing our throats, telling the mountain gorillas "I'm not a threat to you, I'm friendly."

"The bark is what they pull open with their paws, they eat the tissue that delivers nutrients under the bark, and they're vegetarians," Ignatz said, pointing to a tree. Although they are vegetarian, they are the king of the stomach and can eat 30 kilograms of various foods every day. ”

Under the epidemic, in order to protect mountain gorillas, the staff of Rwanda Volcanoes National Park required all people entering the park to hold a negative 72-hour nucleic acid test certificate and wear a mask, because gorillas are genetically similar to humans and are susceptible to certain viruses infected by humans.

The reporter also noticed that from the Volcano National Park Reception Center by car to hiking into the jungle, there are rugged dirt roads along the way and need to pass through villages. Locals say the road has not been built because the number of mountain gorillas in the area is increasing every year, and their living space needs to be gradually expanded. The local government plans to relocate villagers near the park closer to the town in order to better protect the environment in which the gorillas live. Under a tourism revenue-sharing policy in Rwanda, a portion of the revenues of national parks is invested in agriculture, health, infrastructure and education to improve the lives of villagers near national parks.