Local economy boosted by gorilla tourism

Rwanda gave names to 22 rare baby mountain gorillas on Saturday. It is the largest group of primates to receive names since the East African nation started celebrating an annual naming ceremony seven years ago.

Wikimedia Common/Public Domain

Thousands of people, including foreign dignitaries and government officials turned up for the celebration in Kinigi.

The rare mountain gorillas, who live in a volcano range straddling Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, are making a comeback.

Numbering fewer than 250 in the 1980s, the gorillas have since survived poachers, wars in all three countries and a booming human population which has steadlily encroached onto their natural habitat.

Now after decades of intense conservation efforts, there are almost 800 gorillas, but they are surrounded by one of the poorest and most crowded areas in the region.

Animal specialists say they are still vulnerable to traps, diseases and encroachment.

Locals says tourism based around the gorillas is helping the town build schools and hospitals.