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Uganda, the only place for Gorilla Safaris |
| Irene Kisaakye |
With a belief by some historians that human kind started and evolved in East Africa, it's not surprising that Uganda, a destination in this region is prominent for being a habitat to the Mountain Gorillas.
By description, Primates share with humans, flexible arms and legs, skilled fingers (and sometimes toes), and relatively big brains. The many species of apes, monkeys, and lemurs are among the primates. The chimpanzee for example is known for its being the closest living relative to humans. Half of the remaining Mountain gorillas in the world can only be seen in Uganda.
Uganda, besides the other East African countries has grown into a well recognized safari destination for tourists because of its moist climate and the enormous amount of rich, dense forests, that have made it a home to these species. Over 300 mammals, 20 of which are primates, both diurnal and nocturnal have been recorded and can be traced on a tour to Uganda through the Uganda safari companies.
Uganda's primate inhabited forests are under threat of destruction, yet a number of species living in tropical forests is much higher than elsewhere making it hard for the primates to survive. A holiday to Uganda will give you an opportunity to see the great apes, chimpanzees, mountain gorillas and different species of monkeys.
Most rare of the primate is the mountain gorilla which inhabits Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga National Park in southwestern Uganda. Thousands of visitors travel to Uganda on Gorilla Safaris for a stunning experience with the Gorillas, the largest of all the primates.
The Chimpanzees, slightly smaller in size share 98% of human's DNA and are found to be incredibly intelligent with the ability to understand and peak sign language. They inhabit most forest in western Uganda. You will have a chance to associate with them if you take a Uganda tour to Kibale National Park, Kuniyo Pabidi forest site near Murchison Falls National Park, as well as Ngamba Island chimpanzee Sanctuary on Lake Victoria.
Five types of monkeys are found in Uganda including the colobus, guenons, baboons, patas and mangabeys. Some Guenon species are found every where in the country in addition to those found in the forest. Patas monkeys have a reddish brown coat, unlike the guenon's grey coat and are restricted to northern Uganda in Kidepo and Murchison falls National Parks.
Baboons are easily identified because of their size and long canine teeth, are easily adaptable and are the most wide spread primates in Africa. The black and white colobus monkey is the most viewable in the forest strata and in the river woodlands.
A few of the primates in Uganda, for example the bushbaby and the potto are never seen by the tourists as they sleep during the day and are active at night (nocturnal). There are guided night walks at Kibale forest on which one can see these animals.
With all these primates, wildlife parks and forest reserves have been setup in Uganda to increase chances of continued existence of these animals in conjunction with travel and safari operators to facilitate tourists to carve up in the experience with the great primates.
As one can clearly notice, Uganda is a country endowed with Primates that differ noticeably. The International Primatogogical Society and the Uganda Wildlife Authority have worked to preserve wildlife parks and forest reserves so as to ensure the survival of these species.
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| About the Author |
©2006 All rights reserved
Kisaakye Irene is a travel writer in Africa. Her articles can be found on the website, http://www.asyanuttours-safaris.com which offers safaris to Uganda and Rwanda.
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