Researchers at Ohio University have published a new study in collaboration with Ugandan scientists, cautioning that humans place endangered mountain gorillas at risk of disease transmission during tourism encounters.
Researchers at Ohio University have published a new study in collaboration with Ugandan scientists, cautioning that humans place endangered mountain gorillas at risk of disease transmission during tourism encounters.
Mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei) are an endangered species of great ape found only in eastern Africa. Over 40% of the 1,059 mountain gorillas that remain on the planet today reside in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in southwestern Uganda, and these apes are the heart of a growing tourism industry that has incentivized their continued protection. But close proximity between humans and gorillas during tourism encounters presents well-documented risks for disease transmission.
Gorillas are particularly susceptible to infectious diseases that affect humans, and respiratory infections are the most common, causing up to 20% of sudden deaths in gorillas. Accordingly, the Uganda Wildlife Authority has developed rules to protect the health of the gorillas, limiting each habituated gorilla group to a single hour-long visit per day by a group of no more than eight tourists. Current rules emphasize that humans must maintain a seven-meter (or greater) distance from gorillas at all times, which in the absence of wind is the minimum safe distance to avoid a sneezed droplet carrying infectious particles.
A number of studies over the years have documented that not all tour groups respect the seven-meter rule.
Read more at Ohio University
Image: A new Ohio University study shows that tourists are getting too close to mountain gorillas, potentially exposing the gorillas to deadly diseases. (Credit: Nancy J. Stevens)
