--- title: How Rwanda Benefits from Endangered Gorillas | TIME description: The Rwandan government sees an economic benefit in protecting the endangered mountain gorillas in its national parks canonical: https://time.com/video/8fKLSwKz/ og:title: How Rwanda Benefits from Endangered Gorillas og:description: The Rwandan government sees an economic benefit in protecting the endangered mountain gorillas in its national parks og:url: https://time.com/video/8fKLSwKz/ og:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/8fKLSwKz/poster.jpg?width=720 og:type: video.other twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: How Rwanda Benefits from Endangered Gorillas twitter:description: The Rwandan government sees an economic benefit in protecting the endangered mountain gorillas in its national parks twitter:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/8fKLSwKz/poster.jpg?width=720 --- # How Rwanda Benefits from Endangered Gorillas > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. 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They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. ## Video: How Rwanda Benefits from Endangered Gorillas [Watch (HLS stream): How Rwanda Benefits from Endangered Gorillas](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/8fKLSwKz.m3u8) (5:41)  _Published 2010-09-14. The Rwandan government sees an economic benefit in protecting the endangered mountain gorillas in its national parks_ --- Jul 27, 2023 3:05 PM UTC --- ## More From This Series [All Videos](https://time.com/video/) [Africa's Mountain Gorillas Could Also Be at Risk From Coronavirus](/video/4KOmcJKd/) ### Africa's Mountain Gorillas Could Also Be at Risk From Coronavirus [Know Right Now: Lions Protected As Endangered Species](/video/02bZizWG/) ### Know Right Now: Lions Protected As Endangered Species [How to Greet a Mountain Gorilla](/video/XiruFrH8/) ### How to Greet a Mountain Gorilla --- ## Transcript >> In Rwanda Volcano National Park, a group of tourists are gearing up for a tough track. >> It's slippery. Careful. >> Step by step, they marched toward the steep foothills of the Virunga Volcanoes where they'll meet a family of mountain gorillas. But to their surprise, they don't have to travel far. >> Behind you. >> In minutes, they come face to face with the furry apes. The guides use their call to keep them calm. >> He's not that big. He's only what 350, 300 pounds maybe? >> There are only 700 mountain gorillas left in the world. >> So we have female carrying a baby. >> They reside in Uganda, The Democratic Republic of Congo and right here in Rwanda. Today, they don't seem bothered by their human company. If lunch time and there's a feast of bamboo and eucalyptus trees ready for eating and they could care less about the clicking cameras. >> We've got their pictures of their members if I'm going to visit. >> It costs tourist $ 500 U. S. to spend an hour with the gorilla family and the money of these travelers dish out for tourist guides and trinkets goes back to the local community. Officials say it's an exchange that keeping the endangered gorilla alive. >> More than before, the communities are now benefiting and the impact has been that they are now involved in protecting the forest, the habitat of the mountain gorillas. >> And the gorillas are winning too. In the Virunga mountain range, their population has grown slowly, but surely from 250 in 1981 to 380 in 2003. When the new census is released this year, experts predict that number will be even higher. The government is pulling out all kinds of tricks to encourage local to embrace tourists and gorillas. Every year, they throw a naming ceremony. Locals, politicians, even President Kagame attend this year after Don Cheadle picked a name for a baby gorilla. >> And the name is Zoya. >> The government is also investing 5 percent to gorilla tourism revenue into local communities and you can see where the dollars are going-- new modern houses, new roads, new restaurants and new ways to make money. Emmanuel Harerimana used to poach gorillas for a living. Now, he runs a traditional dance center for tourist. >> The tourism cheering my life and my family's life because in attempt you go have to get the food from the forest, which is really bad and which is I really had. >> His earnings from his new job, Harerimana builds a house and sends his siblings to school. His attitude towards the gorilla has completely changed. >> Long time ago, we saw that gorilla is like a useless animal. We don't know the importance of the gorillas because we didn't benefit from them. But now, we see that gorillas are like our source. These mountain gorillas eat a lot. >> Is this kind of impact that attracting more and more travelers to Rwanda's gorilla region. >> Most are walking up to the entrance of the forest. >> Every year, about 16, 000 visitors come here and many will pay big money especially if they know it's doing some good. >> It is a hefty fee. I mean, you know, you don't-- you think twice about-- about paying for it and you think twice about the whole package, but I don't regret any of it. It's being tremendous well worth it. >> We then start walking from here. >> But there is some concerned about how increased human contact will impact these gorillas. This family is so used to tourists that they've started hanging out unusually close to local villages and that's not good for humans or the gorillas. >> It's not very good because when they're getting this feeding day with these trees it kills the trees first and remember these trees belong to the locals in here. Another thing is not also good when they get here because they catch more disease once they are here from the cattle or from these local people. >> Human disease is a big worry here. A common cold could wipe out an entire gorilla family. The government has enforced strict rules to try and prevent that. Groups of eight are only allowed to visit a family for an hour and everyone has to stand at least 20 feet away. >> Otherwise, they're just scared maybe. >> But no matter how careful tourists are-- >> You see. >> anything can set off a gorilla. >> It is a whistle? >> Yes. >> Yeah, I think that's why it scared them. A whistle sent this Silverback and his family running away from the clicking cameras back to the privacy of Rwanda's forest where they belong. 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