Proposed Trump Policy Threatens Great Ape

Both Grauer's gorillas and local communities could be placed in even greater danger from warlords, militias and miners if President Donald Trump signs a draft presidential memorandum leaked to Reuters in early February.

The new policy would allow US companies to buy conflict minerals freely -- including gold, tin, tantalum, coltan and tungsten -- without public disclosure. It would likely increase mining activities in the Congo basin, bringing in more workers that will hunt bushmeat to survive.

Trump's memorandum would nullify the Conflict Mineral Rule for two years. The rule was passed with bipartisan support from Congress in 2010 as part of the Securities and Exchange Commission's Dodd Frank Act. At the time, it was opposed by business interests, while human rights groups and environmentalists supported it.

The regulation as it currently exists requires companies to disclose conflict minerals that come from the DRC or an adjoining country. When it was passed, then-SEC Chairman Mary L. Schapiro said, "In adopting this statute, Congress expressed its hope that the reporting requirements of the securities laws will help to curb the violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo."

The Trump memorandum's reasoning for the proposed rule suspension is that it has led to "some job loss" in the past. The administration did not respond to requests for comment from Mongabay.

African nations, however, immediately expressed concern: "This might ultimately lead to a generalized proliferation of terrorist groups, trans-boundary money laundering and illicit financial flows in the region," the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) told Reuters. The ICGLR includes 12 African member states.

Counting Grauer's Gorillas

In the 2016 survey -- the largest ever conducted for Grauer's gorillas -- park staff, local people and scientists led by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and Fauna & Flora International combed 7,450 square kilometers (nearly 3,000 square miles) to count the animals in the eastern part of the Congo, the only place they live. Researchers then used statistical analysis and computer modeling to estimate population size.

Their finding sparked international news coverage and a triage reaction from the conservation community.

Within months, Grauer's status was changed's status was changed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to the red-alert last stage before extinction in the wild: Critically Endangered.

Grauer's joined three other gorilla subspecies on the IUCN list: the western lowland (G. g. gorilla) and Cross River gorillas (G. g. diehli), along with the other and far more famous eastern gorilla subspecies, the mountain gorilla (G. b. beringei), which attracts tourists from around the globe who come to see them in the Virunga Mountains.

All gorillas are now Critically Endangered.

"Most people have never heard of [Grauer's gorillas], and [yet] they might be the first great ape to go extinct," says Sonya Kahlenberg, who directs the Gorilla Rehabilitation and Conservation Education Center (GRACE), the world's only sanctuary for orphaned Grauer's gorillas.

Catastrophic Decline

Back in 1994 when the Wildlife Conservation Society surveyed Grauer's gorillas (in what was then Zaire), researchers estimated a population of 17,000.

But then in April of 1994, the Hutu ethnic majority in neighboring Rwanda launched a murderous campaign against the Tutsi minority, a genocide that pushed some two million refugees across the border into Zaire and Uganda. Many took refuge in national parks and forests, and the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda and other militias set up operations there. Many survived on bushmeat, sparking what has become an ongoing gorilla "ecocide."

The DRC government distributed arms to local communities to fight back. Many people fled. Forests became a major casualty -- illegally logged both for fuel and the timber market. Hunting was rampant because of a deadly combination of hungry people and readily-available guns. Rangers and other law enforcement were forced to abandon national parks and other protected lands. The forests turned into slaughter grounds.

The stocky Grauer's gorilla became a popular target. They are easy to track, moving on the ground in groups, and the animals provides lots of meat per bullet: they're the world's largest primate, with an average male weighing in at about 400 pounds. The largest tower six-feet three inches and weigh 600 pounds.

Tours in Uganda provide a walk and sail on the wild side

A walking tour into Murchison Falls National Park and a boat tour provide amazing ways to see the country, especially its wildlife.

LOLIM, UGANDA-Sitting on a patio drinking a cocktail at dusk while watching hippos rise like submarines from the Victoria Nile River is the embodiment of luxury.

Chobe Safari Lodge is plonked in the middle of a thick savannah on the east end of Murchison Falls National Park, a five-hour drive from Kampala, or you can fly in on the resort’s runway, which is an experience all to itself. Along the red-stone gravel airstrip you’ll be welcomed by warthogs, giraffes, Ugandan crested cranes and a whole ton of hippo dung.

The lodge, built in the ’50s, is perched on layered terraces that overlook the river and the resort’s fantastically blue swimming pool.

Staying in the semi-permanent, immaculately furnished tents is an unforgettable experience. In the morning, wake up to a vervet monkey on your stoop and through the tent’s thin walls in the evening hear the ever-present sound of the frothing rapids, punctuated by the grunting and huffing of hippos and water buffalo as they make their way through the resort grounds for their nightly stroll in the surrounding savannah.

You can take a guided walking tour into the park, where you can see scores of giraffes munching on acacia trees, and herds of water buffalo who look at you like angry busybodies with terrible haircuts. Beware of tsetse flies, though. Their sharp bites are painful, and you’re more likely to be bitten while wearing black and dark blue. They are harmless, however, and according to the Uganda Wildlife Authority, no longer carry disease.

On the water, boat tours through Murchison Falls National Park and on to the eponymous falls at the other end feature elephants drinking from the Nile, crocodiles catching flies, and the chance to spot some of the country’s amazing birds.

Uganda is a birder’s paradise. It boasts 1,061 species of birds, which is more than half of Africa’s birds, and 10 per cent of all the world’s birds. On the cruise, you can see kingfishers hovering like hummingbirds over the water then dive bombing to their prey, and prehistoric-looking shoebill storks lurking in the reeds.

The grand finale of your water safari is the mighty and wild Murchison Falls. This waterfall is the most powerful in the world as the water from Lake Albert crashes through a six-metre gorge.

This part of the world is, in every sense of the word, magical.

Mgahinga Gorilla Trek

Welcome to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, a lesser known place that is home to the endangered mountain gorillas. This 33.7km sq km park is Uganda’s smallest national park, but in our opinion it is one of the most dramatic places to visit in East Africa.

The park is located in the south-western part of the country and is bordered by the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda.

Things to See & Do

Mgahinga is the Ugandan part of the Virungas, adjoining the Volcanoes National Park of Rwanda and the Virunga National Park in Congo. A safari to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is rewarding! The park is home to at least 39 species of mammals and 79 birds. Large mammals include elephants, leopards, buffaloes and bush pigs though these are rarely seen.

Mountain Gorillas

The park was created to protect the mountain gorillas that roam the Virunga ranges. There is a habituated gorilla group that is resident to the park. This group is called ‘Nyakagezi’ and they can be seen when residing in the park. For the past three years, the group has been resident in the park and many tourists have gotten the chance to see these great apes. Gorilla permits for Mgahinga National Park costs USD600 and can be booked at Uganda Wildlife Authority offices, the park headquarters or through a local tour operator.

Golden Monkeys

The park also hosts the rare golden monkeys, a species of old world monkey that is endemic to the Virunga mountains. Golden monkey tracking is another rewarding adventure that can be taken in Mgahinga.