By Our Reporter
NATIONAL
Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) has launched the Bwindi-Sarambwe mountain gorilla and inaugural chimpanzee census 2025 at the Institute of Tropical Forest Conservation (ITFC) in Ruhija, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
UWA’s ED, Dr. James Musinguzi, officially launched census 2025 on Monday, 5th May, 2025.
The Census is being carried out in collaboration with key partners such as RDB Rwanda, Greater Virunga, Jane Goodall Institute and WWF Uganda Country office.
Dr. Musinguzi flagged off the census team of 60 trained personnel, 70% of whom are from UWA. These will conduct the census using nest count and genetic analysis methods over two sweeps: the first concluding in June and the second in September.
UWA last carried out Gorilla and Chimpanzee Census in Bwindi in 2006.
The Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is inhabited by a population of about 459 individual mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei), known as the Bwindi population, which makes up almost half of all the mountain gorillas in the world.
The rest of the worldwide mountain gorilla population is in the nearby Virunga National Park. A 2006 census of the mountain gorilla population in the park showed that its numbers had increased modestly from an estimated 300 individuals in 1997 to 320 individuals in 2002 to 340 individuals in 2006. Disease and habitat loss are the greatest threat to the gorillas. Poaching is also a threat.
