Habinyanja Gorilla Group

Habinyanja Gorilla Group; One of the mountain gorilla families that live in the Buhoma area is the Habinyanja Gorilla Group. Buhoma is one of the ten habituated gorilla groups that are reportedly living in different parts of the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

This family was among the first in Uganda to get accustomed, in contrast to other families. After two years, in 1999, the Habinyanja Gorilla Group welcomed its first group of tourists after being acclimated in 1997.

The term “Nyanja,” which translates to “a place with water” in the local language, refers to the area where the Habinyanja gorilla group was initially spotted, which is next to a swamp in the Buhoma district.

Mugurisi, a silverback whose name came from a dialect that means “old man’s teeth,” commanded this group. Mugurisi later died of old age, and his two brothers, Mwirima and Rwansigazi, shared power until certain disagreements prevented them from holding such positions of authority.

While Mwirima favored spending time near to family, Rwansigazi was an adventurous leader who enjoyed traveling.

In 2002, the two silverbacks did not engage in combat and parted ways. The Rushegura family was made up of the Habinyanja who stayed with Rwansigazi and the Mwirima group who stayed with Mwirima.

Makara is now in charge of leading the family after the former leader of the Habinyanja Gorilla Group abdicated.

When one of the group’s black backs, Mizano, a highly amiable mountain gorilla, was discovered dead in 2011, sad news reached the group. There were two spear wounds on his body, one each in his shoulders and neck.

Mizano apparently met his demise while encountering a gang of poachers leading their dogs. While protecting his family from poachers, he lost his life. As far as poaching incidents go, this was apparently the first since 1995.

Today the Habinyanja Gorilla Group goes into the jungle every day. The 18 members of this family require extra energy to trip.

Please be aware that this number varies depending on whether there are new babies born, elderly family members pass away, or a new family member joins.

Do you specifically want to travel the Habinyanja Gorilla Family? Take advantage of one of our safari packages to visit Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and spend an hour exploring this enigmatic family.