History of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
History of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park; Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park was set up in 1942 before it was later gazette as a national park in 1992. Then later in 1964, it was turned into wildlife sanctuary in order to protect the endangered mountain gorillas. In 1966 ,two other forest reserves became part of the main reserve thus expanding its area to about 321 square kilometers. The park continued to be managed as both game sanctuary and forest reserve.
In 1991, the impenetrable Central Forest Reserve along with the Mgahinga Gorilla Reserve and the Rwenzori Mountains Reserve were established as a national park and named it the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Bwindi covered an area of 330.8 square kilometers and are inhabitant to wide range of species within it’ ’the mountain gorillas’’.
The reclassification of the park has large impact on the Batwa pygmy people, who were evicted from the forest and they had to get them where to settle. Well, Gorilla tracking were open for tourism as a tourist activity in April 1993 and the park became a popular tourist destination. In 1994, a 10 square kilometers area was deducted from the park.
In 1993, Bwindi a home of world’s half population of mountain gorillas; the park management, the Uganda National parks are under the management of ‘’UWA’’ Uganda Wildlife Authority. More so, the park was stretched a further 4 square kilometers and was incorporated to the park. In 1994, it was listed on the World Heritage site list.
The park’s management changed; Uganda National Parks and renamed it Uganda Wildlife Authority which is responsible for the park. In 2003, a certain piece of land next to the park with an area of 4.2 square kilometers was purchased into the park.
1999 – Hard Times
In March 1991, a force of 100 to 150 former Rwanda Interahamwe guerrillas penetrate across the border from the ‘’DRC’’ Democratic Republic of the Congo and Kidnapped 14 foreign visitors and their Ugandan guide from the park headquarters. Fortunately, six visitors were released and thus murdering the remaining 8 with machetes and clubs; many victims were reportedly tortured, at least one of the female victims was raped, and the Ugandan guide was doused with gasoline and fire had to be littered. Then, Interahamwe attack was reportedly intended to destabilize Uganda and frighten traffic of tourists from the park as well as depriving the Ugandan government of vital income. Bwindi National Park was forced to close for many months and the popularity of the gorilla safaris faced difficulty for several years, but attendance has since recovered due to greater stability in the area. The group of trackers can be accompanied by armed guard into gorilla trekking activity.
More so, Bwindi National Park is one of the East Africa’s most popular national parks and known to be one of Africa’s ancient habitats dating over 25000 years back. The park is home to over 120 mammal species and around 11 primate’s species including the major mountain gorillas, chimpanzees, Lhotse’s monkeys, African golden cat and the rare giant forest hog and also contains about 400 species of plants among others. The locals named Bwindi ‘’Mubwindi bwa nyinamuraki’’. The forest has a swamp in the southern sector and a family which wanted to cross the swamp, but it seemed to be impenetrable because of the thick vegetation. Local people believed that forest heads are spirits and the family had to ask for permission from the spirit of the forest in order to cross peacefully.
