Mammals of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
Mammals of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest: Bwindi is one of Africa’s primaeval forests, popular for its rich biodiversity, including montane and tropical rain forests with unique wildlife species such as mammals, particularly the endangered mountain gorillas. This unique dense forest is home to over 120 mammal species, 45 of which are small mammals, 10 primates, 348 birds, 220 butterflies and 29 species of amphibians and reptiles, such as geckos, chameleons and several other endangered species.
The forest is part of the greater East African Rift Valley near the Uganda-Congo (Democratic Republic of Congo) border, with the highest population of mountain gorillas. With over 459 gorillas, Bwindi is home to almost half of the world’s remaining mountain gorillas, which are widely distributed in the four sectors of Ruhija, Buhoma, Nkuringo and Rushaga that make up the entire Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Mammals in Bwindi can be spotted during guided tours such as gorilla trekking, birdwatching, hiking, nature walks and other activities. During these excursions, mammals are seen roaming the jungle searching for food such as fruits, leaves, and tree bark, among others.
Mammals of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest include:
Mountain gorillas
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park has a total of about 459 mountain gorillas, contributing to almost 50% of the world’s mountain gorillas. The remaining percentage is shared by other mountain gorilla destinations, including Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park, Uganda’s Mgahinga National Park, and Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Chimpanzees- Mammals of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
Despite the endangered mountain gorillas, the park is also home to chimpanzees that are rarely seen since they are not habituated. However, during a gorilla trekking experience, on a lucky day you may come across some of these intelligent apes. According to research, Chimpanzees are our closest cousins, sharing 98.7% DNA with humans, and Uganda is home to over 5000 chimpanzees countrywide, making it Africa’s leading primate destination.
Other top destinations to see chimpanzees in Uganda include Kibale Forest National Park, where over 1500 individuals seek refuge, with over 12 unique resident primates. Additionally, Uganda has other chimpanzee sites and these include Kyambura Gorge in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Semuliki Valley National Park, Budongo Forest in Murchison Falls National Park, Bugoma Forest Reserve, Kalinzu Forest Reserve, and Ngamba Island for orphaned chimpanzees, among others.
Other primates
Other primate species to see in Bwindi include the red-tailed monkey, blue monkey, black and white colobus monkeys, mangabeys, olive baboons, pottos and galagos, among others.
Other Mammals of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
Besides mountain gorillas, the park inhabits other species like forest elephants, bush pigs, buffaloes’ potto, duikers (Yellow-backed Duiker and Black-fronted Duiker), Demidoff’s Galago, Spectacled galago, giant forest hog, clawless otter, civet cats, side-striped jackal, rodents, and bats, among others.
Basing on the above animal species, it is only the unique mountain gorillas that have been trained to acclimatise with humans through habituation, making them easily accessible during gorilla trekking and gorilla habituation experiences. Gorilla trekking experience involves trekking and hiking through the verdant vegetation, steep slopes and lowlands in search of mountain gorillas in their natural habitats. On seeing mountain gorillas, the process of gorilla trekking takes a maximum of 1 hour and gorilla habituation takes a duration of 4 hours.
The best time to visit Bwindi to view animals
Visiting Bwindi is possible all year round, although some months are more ideal than others. The best time to see mammals in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is during the dry seasons when the vegetation cover is short with dry trekking trails, making visibility of wildlife species easier. More still, roads heading to the parks are always open and dry due to little to no rainfall, making them safe to travel on.
Accommodation in Bwindi
Travellers planning to visit Bwindi Impenetrable National Park for guided tours should not worry about where to relax for one or more days since many of these activities are a bit exhausting. With many establishments in Bwindi, accommodation ranges from luxury and mid-range to budget options.
These include Ride 4 A Woman, Silver Back Safari Lodge, Buhoma Community, Bwindi Forest Lodge, Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Camp, Buhoma Lodge, Bakiga Lodge, Broadbill Safari Lodge, Gorilla Leisure Lodge, Burunga Gorilla Lodge, Rushaga Gorilla Lodge, Chameleon Hill Forest Lodge, Gorilla Heights Safari Lodge, Bweza Gorilla Lodge, Rushaga Gorilla Camp, Volcanoes Bwindi Lodge, Nkuringo Gorilla Lodge Trackers Forest Lodge, Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge, among others.
