Rwanda’s revered mountain gorilla population has increased tremendously to 302 gorillas. This was established at the annual Kwita Izina held at the foothills of the Virunga Mountains on 5th September, 2015 in Musanze District, Northern Rwanda. During this colorful event 24 born gorillas were given names, the highest number since this programme was started in 2005.
This was the 11th Kwita Izina, a traditional event to name new born babies of the globally renowned mountain gorillas. The event was attended by over 30,000 people including 500 visitors from 26 countries. President Paul Kagame was the chief guest at the ceremony. Within a space of ten years the total number of gorillas named stands at 192. Between 2003 and 2010, the population rose by 26.3 per cent. The current mountain gorilla population in the Virunga Region stands at an estimated 480 individuals. In Rwanda, there are 302 gorillas from 20 families from both tourism and research groups.
This year’s event was themed ‘Conserving now and for the future’. Notable guests who named the baby gorillas at the event include the MD of Best Western Plus Lusaka Grand Hotel, Dr. Hans J. Heuer, Manager of Phinda Reserve that donated lions to Akagera National Park, Simon Naylor, Pioneer of conservation work with mountain gorillas and Yale University Professor, Amy Vedder, World Wide Fund For Nature and Senior Conservation Advisor, Dr. Allan Karlsson, Senior Fellow, Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas, U.S. Department of State, Dr. Janaki Alavalapati, Rwandan Minister of Trade and Industry, Francois Kanimba, Rwandan singer, Jeanne Butera Knowless, Managing Director of Bralirwa, Jonathan Hall, Son of the founder of the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project in Rwanda, Frank Keesling, and the Founder and CEO of the African Leadership Group, Fred Swaniker and Isaac Fokuor.
During the event, Rwanda Development Board’s Chief Tourism Officer, Ambassador Yamina Karitanyi, said that Kwita Izina had achieved global recognition due to the mechanics of including the local community in the conservation program. “Kwita Izina is a Rwandan brand of conservation that in addition to celebrating the growth of the Mountain Gorilla population, acknowledges the impact and participation of the in sustainable wildlife and natural habitat conservation,” she observed.
The event also saw the award of the Kwita Izina Awards to notable Rwandan people who have contributed a lot towards conservation in the country. This program will serve as a platform for recognizing and rewarding individuals and organizations for their conservation efforts in Rwanda. These included Tarasin Nyiranizeyimana and Furaha Godfrey from the Eastern province, Agnes Nyiramanzi and Bandorayingwe from the Western Province, Marie Louise Mukeshimana and Jean Rwiyadaganza from the Northern Province.