Great Gorilla Run 2014

The Great Gorilla Run.[/caption] After the success of our participation in 2012, a team from Volcanoes Safaris once again participated in the Great Gorilla Run this year, running along the 5 mile course through the City of London to raise awareness and money to support the conservation of gorillas worldwide. Organised by the Gorilla Organisation, the Great Gorilla Run has been hailed as the 'most fun event for conservation going on anywhere in the world' by Bill Oddie, a famous UK naturalist and comedian of the Goonies. The Gorilla Organisation itself works tirelessly to help tackle the threats to gorillas by supporting economic development projects in villages near the gorilla habitats, providing sustainable alternatives to illegal use of the forest and training young conservationists of the future. There are only around 800 mountain gorillas left in the world today. They don't survive in captivity and face a daily challenge of reduction in habitat since expansion of the local settlements has led to deforestation and even poaching. [caption id="attachment_3478" align="alignleft" width="300"]

Volcanoes 'We're Not that Fossey, really!' team.[/caption] There is hope, however. Between the countries of Uganda, Rwanda and the DRC (an area known collectively as the Virunga Massif) there population is increasing. When Dian Fossey was working in Rwanda there were fewer than 250. Now, due to a combination of factors including the massive impact of gorilla tourism in both Uganda and Rwanda the population has stabilised and is increasing, though it is still a long way from being out of the endangered species list. To visit the endangered mountain gorillas and stay at our locally-inspired lodges, please contact our sales team now! salesug@volcanoessafaris.com