Adventurer Peter van Kets has been sharing footage from his incredible expedition to the Rift Valley of Uganda and in light of some devastating news has released episode 5 – Amazing Mountain Gorillas.
Van Kets shared his sorrow on Facebook saying, “The news of another Mountain Gorilla being poached, this time in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, is devastating. Rafiki was a 25-year-old silverback and well known in the area. I am unable to put into words how heartbreaking this is for all those invested in the conservation of this fragile species.”
In Episode 5 of Beyond the Rift Valley Expedition, the team heads north towards the Volcanoes National Park to have a life-changing interaction with the Igisha group of Mountain Gorillas at the foothills of Karasimbi Volcano.
Thanks to the incredible work done by the Rwanda Development Board (RDB), Wilderness Safaris and the local communities that work and live amount these gorillas, their numbers have been preserved and increased!
The Volcanoes National Park borders the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda and incorporates some major volcanoes including Karasimbi. It was also home to Diane Fossey an American primatologist and conservationist known for undertaking an extensive study of mountain gorilla groups from 1966 until her death in 1985. Although inconclusive, it is assumed that she was murdered by poachers.
[Watch: Beyond The Rift Valley Adventurer Peter Van Kets Episode 5]
