Abstract

Tourism has some important contribution in wildlife protection of certain endangered species e.g. such as rhinos, polar bears, whales and some primates including gorillas and chimpanzees. The taxonomic genus Gorilla is divided in two separate species: Eastern and Western Gorilla. Both of them are respectively subdivided in two subspecies. Among the whole population of Eastern Gorilla the Mountain Gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei) is the most endangered with actually only 780 individuals survived in Uganda (National Parks of Bwindi and Mgahinga), Rwanda (Volcanoes National Park) and Democratic Republic of Congo (Virunga National Park). Rwandan Volcanoes National Park is a home of about 260 Mountain Gorillas. Due to extensive scientific studies commenced already in 1967 by a famous American primatologist late Dian Fossey, Rwanda could carry tourist gorilla tracking to six Gorilla families i.e. about 90 individuals from all of its population. The human groups can number maximum 8 tourist and two guides. The tourist demands for Gorilla tracking highly exceed the Rwandan capacity in this matter. More then 17 thousand tourist a year track Mountain Gorilla in Volcanoes National Park generating annual income of about 8 million US dollars. 20% of that income are directed to support local agrarian communities in the immediate vicinity of the national park boundaries. That considerable flow of hard currencies to such an economically poor country as Rwanda help effectively to protect Mountain Gorilla and creates good climate to awake environmental awareness among local communities. Nowadays tourism in Rwanda mostly focuses its activities in the field of Mountain Gorilla Tracking. This conscious and responsible form of qualified tourism contributes enormously to efficient conservation of one of the most endangered primates in the world, which shares with us, human beings, an almost identical genome (98,4 similarity percentage). It also contributes to welfare of local agrarian communities in the national park vicinities, however can pose some serious threats to a Mountain Gorilla population due to their vulnerability to contract from humans some potentially deadly diseases as pneumonia and influenza in close contact with tourist tracking groups, even such contact is strictly limited for each gorilla families to only one hour a day. From all three countries where Mountain Gorilla lives, Rwanda created in this specific wildlife tracking the best opportunities for tourism not only because of Gorilla Tracking Permit numbers issued a day 193 but also for its longest experience in such form of tourism and, what also matter a lot, excellent security record in last decade. (original abstract)