Mountain Gorilla Tourism: The Gorillas’ Perspective
Historical Persecution And Conservation Challenges
Mountain gorillas play a crucial ecological role in seed dispersal and forest restoration, yet they face a critical extinction threat. Only approximately 1,000 individuals remain, spread across fragmented habitats in Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Conservation efforts for this species face unique challenges, with female gorillas only reproducing a few times in their life and needing to protect their infants from infanticidal males.
With no natural predators other than humans, mountain gorillas (like many other species) historically suffered from colonization, which disrupted the equilibrium that local people had with the forests. Suddenly, a baby gorilla “pet” or a gorilla hand ashtray became coveted luxury items among the upper classes of Europeans, Asians, and Americans (a problem that persists today, highlighted in the latest Black Market Brief).
Following decades of persecution, only 400 gorillas were left in the 1980s. Ruthlessly hunted for sale as trophies and captive specimens, none survived in captivity to adulthood. Even conservationists tried to safeguard captive individuals, but mountain gorillas failed to thrive or reproduce in confined conditions. The reasons are not clear, but susceptibility to diseases, stress, and the difficulty of meeting their dietary needs (large amounts of herbaceous vegetation and fruits) contribute to their poor survival in captivity.
In addition to these challenges and to the ongoing damage that oil and mining exploitations cause to their habitat, wild mountain gorillas face relentless pressure from warfare and habitat loss. The Rwandan genocide in 1994 and the prolonged civil unrest in the Democratic Republic of the Congo led to the displacement of human refugees into areas adjacent to mountain gorilla habitats. Virunga National Park has become a battleground and haven for militias, with over 169 rangers sacrificing their lives to protect these vital ecosystems from external threats over the past two decades.
The recent escalation of violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo further exacerbates the precarious situation for both humans and wild animals. It’s clear that efforts are needed to effectively safeguard the remaining mountain gorilla populations and their habitats from imminent extinction.
Gorilla Tourism: Conservation Or Exploitation?
One by one, countries that are home to gorillas have implemented conservation strategies aimed at protecting both the species and their habitats, while also ensuring a profitable outcome for people. This offers foreign tourists the opportunity to observe mountain gorillas up close, generating revenue through a fee-based system.
The idea is that gorillas fund their own protection (along with that of other species in the region) by offering alternative livelihoods to local populations. Mountain gorilla tourism, in theory, redirects international interest from oil and mining towards more sustainable and environmentally friendly endeavors, attracting widespread support for the long term.
However, mountain gorilla tourism can only be sustainable and environmentally friendly if we can secure the health and welfare of “ambassador animals” (i.e., those habituated to humans). To prevent disease transmission and minimize stress on the animals involved, conservationists have developed a set of guidelines that local governments carrying out Gorilla Tourism have partially implemented during tourist visits. These recommendations involve restricting access to individuals who are unwell, limiting groups to a maximum of eight people per visit, allowing only one group to visit the gorillas per day for a maximum of one hour of contact, and maintaining a safe distance of at least seven meters from the animals.
Despite these safety regulations, human-origin pathogens have plagued the habituated population. This has tragically resulted in the deaths of some gorillas. Unlike their Western counterparts, who have lost a third of their population to Ebola, mountain gorillas have, so far, been spared from this disease. However, this does not imply immunity to Ebola and other severe health threats. Mountain gorillas have recurrent respiratory outbreaks, often of human origin. During the last global pandemic, the parks were forced to close temporarily to prevent potential contamination.
In this blog, I will explain how mountain gorillas cope with the tourists’ presence and, particularly, the negative effects that close proximity to large groups of tourists has on the gorillas’ wellbeing. The ideas are adapted from a series of research I co-authored in 2023 and 2024 about the ethics and impacts of mountain gorilla tourism.
The Gorillas’ Perspective
Our research focused on the intersection of tourism guidelines for viewing gorillas, the actual compliance with these guidelines, and the behavior of mountain gorillas themselves. Specifically, we examined the extent to which tourists adhered to the recommended seven-meter rule and how gorillas responded to instances of closer proximity.
Over nearly a year of data collection with a single-family group of 15 gorillas residing in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda, we discovered that tourists spent 60% of their time within three meters of the gorillas, with only 15% adhering to the seven-meter recommendation.
We analyzed various behaviors such as scratching, social interactions, and responses to tourists, aiming to identify signs of acute stress during the limited hour-long visits. Our findings revealed a significant increase in stress indicators among gorillas during tourist encounters, along with the use of coping mechanisms to alleviate stress during close interactions. We also found that gorillas tended to switch to behaviors that would offer them some stress relief and social support when they perceived a situation to be risky. These effects were more pronounced when tourists disregarded the recommendations and approached gorillas, with males exhibiting particularly high levels of behavioral stress indicators when tourists encroached within three meters.
Additionally, we observed that gorillas tended to react defensively by attacking tourists when they ventured too close, whereas they displayed no aggressive behavior when tourists respected the seven-meter guideline. Furthermore, gorillas actively avoided tourists approaching them closely, and physical interactions, when they did occur, primarily happened when tourists were within three meters of the gorillas. We were more concerned about pathogen spillover during these close interactions, which often involved physical contact — especially since gorillas showed increased signs of stress, which can compromise their immunity.
It’s important to note that our research was limited in its scope, as we were unable to compare our findings with other gorilla groups undergoing the habituation process. We focused on one of the older habituated groups in Bwindi, with all but two individuals accustomed to human presence since birth.
Additionally, our data collection occurred prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent closure of the parks. Upon reopening to tourism, authorities implemented tentatively new rules aimed at reducing the risk of disease transmission. For instance, the seven-meter distance required between tourists and gorillas changed to ten meters, although pamphlets available to tourists continued to mention the seven-meter rule (UWA Conservation Tariff 2022-2024). Currently, there is not enough data on post-pandemic gorilla tourism to evaluate our assumptions.
Mesmerization At A High Price
Why do individuals feel compelled to get dangerously close to a 400+ pound animal like the mountain gorilla?
Our studies and others have uncovered a concerning disregard for safety regulations. This phenomenon isn’t limited to Uganda alone — you may notice it at home, with no mountain hiking involved. Van Hamme’s analysis of Instagram posts from 2013 to 2019 revealed that a majority of tourists were dangerously close to gorillas, with 86% less than 4 meters away, and 25 instances of physical contact.
In a world where animals are often used as props for social media photos, there appears to be a snowball effect where tourists seek to replicate these images for likes and shares without considering the potential harm to the animals. While tourists may be unaware of the risks to the animals, their actions on social media inadvertently encourage others to follow suit.
Recent studies suggest that clear and assertive messaging can dissuade tourists from disregarding rules, but tourist education must begin in their home countries. This could involve social media campaigns promoting ethical tourism and establishing “selfie codes.” Furthermore, providing better training and incentives for park staff responsible for enforcing rules, along with requiring proof of vaccination for visitors, quarantine, and compliance to the “Gorilla Friendly Pledge,” could further ensure gorilla welfare and health.
Despite these challenges, mountain gorillas were recently reclassified from “critically endangered” to “endangered” due to the increase in their numbers. This success story is credited to conservation efforts, including gorilla tourism. The revenue generated from tourist visits not only benefits the parks directly visited by tourists, but also supports other parks within these countries that do not attract as many tourists. In this sense, mountain gorillas exert a strong umbrella and flagship effect in their native countries.
Tourism revenue also serves as a deterrent to oil and mineral companies from encroaching on gorilla habitats and fosters international cooperation among the countries hosting gorilla populations, potentially contributing to peace-building efforts. The revenue-sharing system between community members and the park system is also controversial because the communities often receive less than what is rightfully theirs.