Ecotourism Helps Protect Gorillas in the Congo

In the Kahuzi-Biega National Park, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, they are working on creating ecotourism around the Eastern Lowland Gorillas. These primates are the largest species of gorillas on earth, and their only predators are humans. Times of war are the most dangerous times for these gorillas. Since the unrest in the mid-90s in neighboring Rwanda, wars have been common in the region, but the park is hoping that a current period of relative peace will help them to increase the ecotourism trade. The gorilla ecotourism in Kahuzi-Biega National Park provides funding to hire more rangers to help protect the gorillas. The Rangers work to get the Silver-backed leaders of the families to be comfortable around humans, and they currently have four families that are habituated to be comfortable around people. The ecotourism allows people to see these amazing creatures in their natural habitat, while providing necessary funds to help protect them.