As the coronavirus infects more people around the world, conservationists are warning of the risk to another vulnerable species: Africa’s endangered mountain gorilla.
Congo’s Virunga National Park, home to about one-third of the world’s mountain gorillas, is barring visitors until June 1, citing “advice from scientific experts indicating that primates, including mountain gorillas, are likely susceptible to complications arising from the COVID-19 virus.”
Neighboring Rwanda is also temporarily shutting down tourism and research activities in three national parks that are home to primates such as gorillas and chimpanzees.
Photo: AP
Mountain gorillas are prone to some respiratory illnesses that afflict humans. A common cold can kill a gorilla, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature, one reason tourists tracking gorillas are not normally permitted to get too close.
About 1,000 mountain gorillas live in protected areas in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and Rwanda, for whom tourism is an important source of revenue.
However, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to restrictive measures.
Virunga National Park’s decision has been welcomed by conservationists in the region.
Paula Kahumbu, chief executive of the Kenya-based conservation group WildlifeDirect, told reporters that “every possible effort must be made” to protect mountain gorillas, because so few are left in the wild.
“We know that gorillas are very sensitive to human diseases,” she said. “If anyone has a cold or a flu they are not allowed to go and see the gorillas. With coronavirus having such a long time of no symptoms in some cases, it means that we could actually put those gorillas at risk.”
Even existing measures might not be enough to protect them.
Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka, an Ugandan conservationist with Conservation Through Public Health, said that a study published this year by her group and Ohio University showed that measures in place to protect gorillas from humans are not effective in practice.
The rule on keeping a safe distance from the gorillas was broken almost every time a group of tourists visited, she said.
“What the research found is that the seven-meter rule was broken almost all the time ... like 98 percent of the time,” she said. “But what was interesting is that 60 percent of the time it was tourists that broke it and 40 percent of the time it was the gorillas who broke it.”
If close interaction cannot be prevented, one measure that could potentially improve safety is requiring tourists to wear masks at all times, she said.
Uganda has not announced a shutdown of gorilla tourism, although tourist traffic from Europe and elsewhere has dwindled.
The decision on whether to shut down gorilla tourism is now academic, as there is almost no business amid the outbreak, Uganda Wildlife Authority spokesman Bashir Hangi said.
Still, the few tourists who come are screened for fever and other symptoms, and must obey rules such as not standing within 7m of a gorilla family, he said.
Visitors from virus-affected countries who have gone through quarantine in Uganda need to produce what he called a certificate of isolation before they are permitted to track the gorillas.
Amos Wekesa, whose Great Lakes Safaris organizes gorilla tours in Rwanda and Uganda, spoke mournfully of “hardly any business” as tourists postpone visits or seek refunds.
The region’s mountain gorilla population dropped sharply in the past century because of poaching, illness and human encroachment. Mountain gorillas have been listed as critically endangered or endangered since 1996, although their numbers are now said to be growing as a result of conservation efforts.
However, there have been painful losses. Some gorillas die of natural causes, falling from trees or being killed in fights between males for territory or dominance. A lightning strike last month killed four mountain gorillas.
In Rwanda, where tourism is the top foreign-exchange earner, the government has prioritized the protection of gorillas, even launching a naming ceremony for baby primates.
Tourism revenue is key in protecting mountain gorillas, as authorities can use some of the money to help local communities or invest in anti-poaching activities.
A gorilla-tracking permit costs up to US$600 in Uganda and thousands of tourists pay each year.
A similar permit costs more than US$1,000 in Rwanda.
Republican US lawmakers on Friday criticized US President Joe Biden’s administration after sanctioned Chinese telecoms equipment giant Huawei unveiled a laptop this week powered by an Intel artificial intelligence (AI) chip. The US placed Huawei on a trade restriction list in 2019 for contravening Iran sanctions, part of a broader effort to hobble Beijing’s technological advances. Placement on the list means the company’s suppliers have to seek a special, difficult-to-obtain license before shipping to it. One such license, issued by then-US president Donald Trump’s administration, has allowed Intel to ship central processors to Huawei for use in laptops since 2020. China hardliners
Conjoined twins Lori and George Schappell, who pursued separate careers, interests and relationships during lives that defied medical expectations, died this month in Pennsylvania, funeral home officials said. They were 62. The twins, listed by Guinness World Records as the oldest living conjoined twins, died on April 7 at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, obituaries posted by Leibensperger Funeral Homes of Hamburg said. The cause of death was not detailed. “When we were born, the doctors didn’t think we’d make 30, but we proved them wrong,” Lori said in an interview when they turned 50, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. The
RAMPAGE: A Palestinian man was left dead after dozens of Israeli settlers searching for a missing 14-year-old boy stormed a village in the Israeli-occupied West Bank US President Joe Biden on Friday said he expected Iran to attack Israel “sooner, rather than later” and warned Tehran not to proceed. Asked by reporters about his message to Iran, Biden simply said: “Don’t,” underscoring Washington’s commitment to defend Israel. “We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed,” he said. Biden said he would not divulge secure information, but said his expectation was that an attack could come “sooner, rather than later.” Israel braced on Friday for an attack by Iran or its proxies as warnings grew of
A prominent Christian leader has allegedly been stabbed at the altar during a Mass yesterday in southwest Sydney. Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was saying Mass at Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley just after 7pm when a man approached him at the altar and allegedly stabbed toward his head multiple times. A live stream of the Mass shows the congregation swarm forward toward Emmanuel before it was cut off. The church leader gained prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic, amassing a large online following, Officers attached to Fairfield City police area command attended a location on Welcome Street, Wakeley following reports a number