Author: admin

Conflict between people and animals is one of the main threats to the continued survival of many wildlife species and also represents risks to local human populations. If such conflicts are not addressed adequately, local support for conservation declines drastically. Therefore resolving human-wildlife conflict is a key issue for the future of wildlife conservation (Woodroffe et al. 2005).

In Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda, critically endangered mountain gorillas sometimes range outside the park and crop-raid. Gorilla crop-raiding and ranging outside pose threats to local communities, such as crop damage and loss, anxiety, injury and personal danger. On the other hand, gorillas face increased risks of disease transmission from humans and livestock, uncontrolled contact with humans and waste, harassment by local people and even retaliation killing (Goldsmith et al. 2006, Madden 2006, Hockings & Humle 2009). Bwindi is surrounded by one of the highest rural population densities (more than 300 people per km²) worldwide and all the land adjacent to the park is managed by local communities. Once gorillas leave Bwindi, they typically find themselves in people’s agricultural plots or uncultivated land. Though gorillas are only one of several species that crop-raid in Bwindi, they draw a lot of attention due to their size, the damage they may cause and the economic value they represent. Furthermore, the density of gorillas in Bwindi is most likely increasing (Roy et al. 2014) and if ongoing conservation management practices succeed, the population will likely continue to increase. Hence it can be expected that the extent of human-gorilla conflict will exacerbate, presumably leading to some gorilla groups ranging outside the park and placing greater pressure on local livelihoods.

Human-gorilla conflict is one of the major conservation concerns for Bwindi gorillas. The frequency of leaving the park and crop-raiding varies drastically for the different habituated groups. One group, the Nkuringo group, spends more time outside the park than inside and crop-raids more often than any other group. In 2005, a buffer zone was established by the Uganda Wildlife Authority and the International Gorilla Conservation Programme to counteract this group’s ranging and crop-raiding behaviour. However, this zone was not well managed, allowing for herbaceous vegetation and fruit trees to regenerate, creating excellent habitat for gorillas (Goldsmith et al. 2006, Kalpers et al. 2010). Ultimately, in June 2013 the buffer zone was cleared for tea plantations.

Many factors have been suggested to cause gorillas to range outside Bwindi, including a lack of food resources inside the forest. Therefore we examined whether food scarcity inside the park or the availability of certain food resources, such as palatable crops, outside Bwindi caused the gorillas to leave the park. We wanted to investigate the behavior of all habituated groups, not only the groups that were known to crop-raid as we were also interested to know why some groups do not leave the park and do not crop-raid. We examined the ranging and crop-raiding behavior of 13 habituated groups of mountain gorillas, located in three general locations (Ruhija, Buhoma and Rushaga) throughout the park for a period of 13 months from May 2012 to June 2013. To do so, we trained 11 local research and field assistants to collect data on the gorilla groups’ ranging, behavior, diet, and crop-raiding patterns. Additionally, these assistants were trained in monitoring almost 800 tagged trees for fruit every month to calculate an estimate of fruit availability per location.

Besides collecting data on gorilla behaviour, we worked with four field assistants with botany experience, who formed the vegetation sampling team. Over two years, they helped in counting and measuring of ~94,000 plants and trees throughout the gorillas’ home ranges to get an estimate of the availability of herbaceous plants for each group inside the forest. As we were also interested in estimating food availability outside the park, we walked ~56 km recording all crops and land-use practices in 50 m parallel to the park boundary. We crossed swamps, walked through herds of cattle and fields of maize, had to avoid steep ravines and cliffs, slid down steep-sided hills and were exposed to either hot sunshine in the dry season or pouring rain and slippery hills in the rainy season.

Our results revealed that Bwindi gorillas leave the park to feed on herbaceous vegetation growing in tea and pine plantations and on uncultivated land outside the forest as well as on palatable crops growing in people’s gardens. A lack of food resources within the forest was not causing the gorillas to leave the park or to crop-raid. We found that tea did not deter gorillas from leaving the park. We think this is because tea plantations contain herbaceous foods regularly consumed by the gorillas. Furthermore, these plantations currently do not form a continuous barrier to stop gorillas from venturing further into community land.

The loss of fear of humans by habituated gorillas also has been suggested to play a role in the crop-raiding behavior of mountain gorillas. However, the Oruzogo group, a group habituated only in the past few years crop-raided, whereas the Kyaguliro group which is habituated since the early 1990s has never been recorded to crop-raid. Additionally, the conservation area manager of Bwindi reported unhabituated groups to crop-raid. Hence, we think that the level of habituation does not play a major role.

To stop gorillas from utilizing areas outside the national park, we recommend turning land adjacent to Bwindi into unattractive habitat. This could be done by planting buffer crops that are high in fiber and secondary compounds, but low in sugar and sodium. Furthermore, we think plantation of crops like bananas or eucalyptus should be avoided as they seem to attract gorillas. We recommend removing herbaceous foods growing on uncultivated land and plantations and subsequently maintaining the land to keep it clear of foods consumed by the gorillas. If planted continuously around Bwindi and kept clear of herbs, tea plantations might be the best strategy to stop gorillas from traveling into community land. The buffer zone near the Nkuringo group was planted with tea in 2013, which should alleviate much of the problem if the area is properly managed. However, it will be important to assess the effect of tea in the buffer zone on the ranging and crop-raiding behavior of Nkuringo group.

Implementing park wide wildlife sensitive land-use strategies adjacent to Bwindi is crucial to prevent this conflict from intensifying. Lastly, this study nicely shows that research and management have to work hand in hand to implement appropriate management strategies to conserve Bwindi mountain gorillas. While many of the results of this study may be specific to Bwindi, this study also emphasizes the importance of using research to guide management decisions for conservation of gorillas and other species.

NKURINGO, BWINDI IMPENETRABLE NATIONAL PARK

SAMEHE, One of the most senior adult female mountain gorillas of Nkuringo family in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda finally breathed her last on Saturday night, March 26. The adult female and mother of two, believed to have been 19 years old, succumbed to deep bodily wounds sustained in early February this year, during internal fights within the family.

The Veterinary experts from the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project (MGVP) and the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) for nearly two months, have been putting their efforts together to save the adult female from the life threatening wounds, particularly the one on her head.

Samehe was a daughter of Nkuringo the head of the group. She is survived by two daughters namely Magara aged 9 and Juvenile Fulaha who is merely 3.5 years old. Samehe is a Kiswahili word for “Forgive” and was given to this lady by rangers who were indirectly pleading with the dominant silverback, Safari, to reduce the ranging home that was making it difficult to monitor during the gorilla habituation. The names of her daughters are equally meaningful with Magara referring to Good health or being lively while Fula means to be Happy in Kiswahili.

According to the UWA rangers who monitor the gorilla movements and health and a daily basis, Samehe, weighing over 70kg sustained multiple wounds in early February this year during intra-group conflicts. Field veterinary doctors say Samehe was  an adult female who started cycling and mating again when her infant reached 3.5 years. For 4 days, all 6 adult males in the group surrounded her and tried to mate with her, and surprisingly attacked her multiple times.

Feuds within the group turned fierce and all the males and some of the other females and infants were showing signs of various bites and scratches all over their backs, arms, hands and faces. Samehe was observed with multiple injuries, of which the most serious on the left hand, but none were life threatening  till on 14 February when  she was found with the left side bone exposing head trauma with the exposed skull and large loose flap of skin falling down to the eyebrows.

The MGVP doctors did an intervention on 16 February, cleaning the wound and partly stitching the flap to cover the exposed skull bone. Samehe received antibiotics – 4g of Ceftriaxone im, on 16 Feb, 19 Feb and again in early March. Samehe was followed by the UWA trackers and was reported to become stronger and start feeding on 18 February.
However on March 15, Dr. Fred Nizeyimana, the MGVP field doctor based in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park reported that Samehe was weak and isolated from the rest of the Nkuringo family.  On March 16, the doctors found the female gorilla in the same place she had been left the previous day. She was hiding in the thicket and tried to avoid members, but she was visibly weak. She was walking away from members, and finally went into a small cave under some tree roots at the bottom of the river bank.

The wounds on her ear and hand were healed, but the bottom part of the head wound deteriorated further: no healthy granulation was present, but necrosis and multiple maggots were seen in the deep cavity in front of the left ear. The group was some kilometers away. An anesthetic dart was prepared and Samehe was darted into her glutei area. She walked out of the cave and moved some 30 meters, after which she sat down and fell asleep within 6 minutes.

Samehe was given the pharmacy of supporting drugs:  big doses of fluids, antibiotics, anti-inflammatory and anti-parasitic. Though her heart was very weak, she kept stable throughout anesthesia and slowly woke up after the reversal.

On March 19, the doctors found the female alone in the same area as previously on the February 16. She was visibly stressed with human presence and kept running away on our approach. At this stage it was impossible to assess the wound. It was also raining constantly since midday.

R.I.P Samehe (1992 – 2011)