Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Uganda is home to almost half of the world's mountain gorilla population. Former poachers turned "gorilla guardians" are now supporting conservation efforts.
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00:00This mountain gorilla lives in Bwindi National Park in Uganda.
00:05It's one of only two places in the world where the species is formed.
00:10Just a few decades ago, it was on the brink of extinction, due in part to illegal hunting.
00:20This man used to be a hunter who killed gem and gorillas until he realized this was wrong
00:27and he joined a group of reformed poachers dedicated to preservation of these endangered creatures,
00:35coexistence and improving livelihoods.
00:41As reformed poachers, we take care of this park because it provides an income.
00:47Our people get employment and we benefit financially.
00:52Visitors and tourists come to the park and the country gets an income.
00:56And thanks to revenue sharing, our children can go to school and we have hospitals and improved road infrastructure.
01:05That's how we benefit compared to when I was a poacher.
01:09Bwindi National Park and the surrounding region are home to many protected plants and animals.
01:25Threatened not just by poaching, but also habitat loss and disease.
01:30Awareness rising projects among local communities are key to conservation efforts.
01:36Their participation has helped stabilize the gorilla population.
01:41This year, a census is underway.
01:44Peter Tumesiji joins park rangers to count the gorillas in the Windy National Park.
01:49As a former poacher, Peter knows the area like the back of his hand.
01:55The group carefully follow the tracks of the gentle giants.
01:58And here, a band of gorillas enjoying a snack.
02:16They don't seem bothered by being watched.
02:19Not even by someone who used to hunt them.
02:24The census helps identify if conservation is working.
02:28Today, there are thought to be some of 450 mountain gorillas here in windy, impenetrable forest.
02:36You see, they are better.
02:38They are bringing us tourists and other visitors who can give us some money in Uganda.
02:45And we will make some improvements in our country.
02:57Peter Tumesiji and the rangers are glad to see gorillas populations thriving again.
03:03Currently, after sensitizing the community members,
03:07we are so happy that the number is really increasing slowly but sure.
03:13Because most of the gorillas families that we are having here right now,
03:18most of them are having three babies, four babies, five babies,
03:22which shows that the number of gorillas is really increasing slowly but sure.
03:28Before becoming a gorilla guardian,
03:31Peter Tumesiji, like many others, used to hunt using snares like this.
03:36While others poached gorillas deliberately for rituals or illegal trade,
03:42he trapped game in order to provide food for his family,
03:46like antelopes, bush pigs, and forest hoax.
03:50But the trap doesn't choose what it catches.
03:56When we set traps to catch edible animals,
04:02we would sometimes trap other non-edible animals such as foxes,
04:07chimpanzees, or even gorillas by accident.
04:10I would find them in the traps, but this was not intentional.
04:17When he's digging holes today, he's not setting up snares,
04:21but planting trees with his companions.
04:24This area used to be an animal corridor surrounded by trees,
04:28but it was destroyed by human activity.
04:32It's now being restored as part of a wider forestry project.
04:35Right in this region, in the Gindi Mugahinga conservation area,
04:40we have helped development of district development plans
04:43that have aspects for communities to be able to engage
04:47in productive forestry on their land,
04:51which includes, for example, planting of fruit trees,
04:54which means planting some fast-matureling trees
04:58and also agroforestry trees on their farm.
05:01The region around the National Park has also benefited from tourism.
05:05It has helped fund several conservation and development projects.
05:10A revenue-sharing scheme ensures that
05:1220% of tourism revenue in the National Park
05:15goes directly into community projects,
05:18providing locals with a sustainable livelihood.
05:23Meanwhile, the mountain gorilla census continues in the forest.
05:27The final number won't be based on sightings alone,
05:31but also with the help of DNA analysis.
05:35Fecal samples from nests provide information about the number
05:39and relationship of the mountain gorilla troops in the park.
05:43The results of the Great Ape Census will be published in 2026.
05:48In the meantime, the rangers and conservationists
05:51in and around Bindi National Park keep up their work
05:55to ensure that humans and apes can continue to live side by side in harmony.