Tourism is helping Uganda's endangered mountain gorillas make a comeback
BWINDI, Uganda (AP) News of a sick or injured mountain gorilla can worry local residents in this mountainous area thats home to the endangered species. Thats partly because most of the gorillas have been given names, allowing rangers and others to humanize the animals suffering.
But widespread interest in protecting mountain gorillas also comes from the economic benefits of tourism that have turned poachers into conservationists, married women into porters and rangers into eloquent spokespeople for the great apes.
If we know there is a gorilla that is sick, you see everyone is concerned. Why? Why is the gorilla sick? Its suffering from what? said Joyleen Tugume, a ranger-guide in Ugandas Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Even the community people. Everyone is touched.
Tugume said poaching in the park is increasingly rare since we are actually all working together to make sure conservation goes well, because we are all benefitting.
https://apnews.com/article/uganda-mountain-gorillas-conservation-916d874dd7babcfbf04c25b9a39d1961