UGANDA: Ransom Paid, Kidnapped US Tourist And Guide Released. Minister Blames It On Security Lapse.

KIDNAPPED: Kimberly Sue Endicott
Reports in indicate that Kimberly Sue Endicott, an American who was kidnapped for ransom last week in Queen Elizabeth National Park, has been released safely along with her guide Jean Paul Mirenge.

According to US website ABC7.com, “the release came after a ransom was paid and a negotiated handover was conducted. The two kidnap victims returned to a lodge at Queen Elizabeth National Park on Sunday, according to a spokesperson for Wild Frontiers Uganda

The victims of last week’s kidnapping have been recovered alive, said police spokeswoman Polly Namaye later.

Government spokesman Ofwono Opondo confirmed the development, tweeting that the tourist was actually rescued from the DRC. “#Kidnappedtourists Rescued alive from the DRC and brought back safely to #TheWildfrontiersLodge in Uganda.

We want to thank the joint Uganda security forces for the successful operation, he tweeted.

Ugandan security forces have for the past week scoured dense bush between the park and neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), in the hunt for the US tourist and her safari guide who were kidnapped by gunmen.

Mike Walker, manager of Wild Frontiers Safaris, said US tourist Kimberly Endicott and experienced guide Jean-Paul Mirenge, were back safe.

Ransom paid and people exchanged, adding that he didn’t know the precise amount yet.

US President Donald Trump, in a tweet, confirmed the news of Endicott’s released.

Pleased to report that the American tourist and tour guide that were abducted in Uganda have been released. God bless them and their families! Trump tweeted

Four kidnappers stopped a group of tourists at gunpoint around dusk on Tuesday as they drove through the Queen Elizabeth National Park on safari to see wild animals.

Police later identified the American as 35-year-old Endicott, and said the kidnappers had later used her mobile telephone to demand a ransom of $500,000 (445,000 euros) for the release of the pair.

Another held was driver and tour guide Mirenge, a 48-year old safari guide with years of experience.

The gunmen dragged the pair from their safari vehicle, but left behind two other tourists, whom police described as an elderly couple. They managed to raise the alarm from the lodge where they were staying.

Queen Elizabeth National Park, one of the East African nation’s most popular wildlife reserves, runs along the frontier with conflict-wracked regions of DR Congo, bordering its famous Virunga national park, the oldest in Africa.

Two other tourists, whom police described as an elderly couple, were present when the gunmen attacked, but were not abducted or physically harmed. They managed to raise the alarm from the lodge where they were staying.

Queen Elizabeth National Park, one of the East African nation’s most famous wildlife reserves, runs along the frontier with conflict-wracked regions of DR Congo, bordering its famous Virunga national park, the oldest in Africa.

Numerous militia groups and armed gangs roam eastern DR Congo. Virunga suspended all tourism activities last year after a ranger was killed and two British tourists kidnapped. The Britons and their driver were freed two days after the attack. The park reopened in February.

The Ugandan park straddles the equator, covering 1,978 square kilometres (764 square miles) in the country’s south west.

It is also about 150 kilometres (90 miles) north of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, famous among tourists for gorilla trekking. Uganda is home to over half of the world’s endangered mountain gorillas.

In 1999, Rwandan rebels killed eight foreign tourists there, inflicting an enormous blow to Uganda’s tourist industry.

Tourism is a key industry for Uganda, as a major earner of foreign currency. Hundreds of thousands of tourists visit each year.

Army spokesman, Brigadier Richard Karemire, insisted the kidnapping was an isolated incident and that Uganda remains safe for tourists.

Tourism Minister Professor Ephraim Kamuntu has confessed that the kidnap of an American tourist and a Ugandan tour guide was a result of a security lapse by officials of the Uganda Wildlife Authority.

Kimberly Sue Endicott and her Ugandan tour guide Jean Paul Mirenge were last Tuesday kidnapped at gunpoint during an evening drive on Edward track between Katooke gate and Wilderness Camp in Kanungu district. Their captors demanded a $500,000 (1.8 billion Shillings) ransom.

The two were released on Sunday evening after what the Ugandan government describes as a joint rescue operation by its security agencies.

In a brief to the media in Masaka, Minister Kamuntu said that the kidnap from Queen Elizabeth National Park was due to a management lapse by the Uganda Wildlife Authority-UWA rangers who he says failed to guide the tourists on the appropriate times when such drives are done.

According to Kamuntu, the tourists arrived at the National park late in the evening and accordingly convinced the guides to take a night tour which is against the practices of their operation.

He insisted that by allowing to relax their guidelines, the UWA guides unsuspectingly fell into a trap.

He described this as an isolated incident which should not bother prospective tourists to the country.

Kamuntu has also pleaded with both local and international tourists not to be scared by the incident, saying the national security agencies are ready to jointly provide them with the required security.

Sam Mwandha, the Executive Director of Uganda Wildlife Authority, says they have picked lessons from the incident, which are going to be translated into tasks to further improve the security in the national parks to guarantee the safety of the visitors.

Meanwhile, the Inspector General of Police Martin Okoth Ochola was Monday due to hand over Kimberly to the US embassy in Nsambya.

A convoy of US Embassy vehicles and police directors among others Assistant Inspector General of Police-AIGP, Abbas Byakagaba and Police Chief Political Commissar, Asan Kasingye, arrived at the police headquarters soon after midday.

The convoy parked outside the IGP's wing where Kimberly accompanied by three other officials from the US Embassy proceeded to IGP's office for a meeting.Thereafter the convoy headed to the US Embassy.

Sources at police headquarters said among those waiting to receive Kimberly is an elderly couple, Martin Julius and his wife Barbel who were left stranded in Queen Elizabeth National Park when the kidnappers varnished with keys of the vehicle, which the group was using.

Earlier, Police Spokesperson Fred Enanga denied claims that the kidnappers released Kimbley after receiving ransom from his family.

As police we don't give ransom and if ransom was paid to kidnappers that can be clarified by his family, Enanga said.

Sources said Kimberly's kidnappers received US $30,000 about Shillings 100m. According to sources, after receiving the money, the kidnappers called Wild Frontiers Safaris Uganda and directed its workers where to find Kimberly and Remezo.

However, Enanga insisted that kidnappers released the victims after elite forces resolved to attack their hideout.


Tourism Observer

DR CONGO: Virunga National Park Sadly looses Six Rangers To Poachers Or Rebels

Six rangers were killed on Monday in an ambush in the Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Virunga National Park is a popular home for the rare mountain gorillas.

“We have sadly lost six rangers,” park spokesman Joel Malembe said, adding that the team was ambushed while driving between the sectors of Lulimba and Ishasha, near the border with Uganda.

A seventh ranger, the team’s leader, was wounded, he said.

The park, established in 1925, describes itself as Africa’s oldest national park.

One of the most important conservation sites in the world, it covers 7,800 square kilometres (3,011 miles), or three times the size of Luxembourg, along a swathe of eastern DR Congo abutting the border with Uganda and Rwanda.

Virunga is home to about a quarter of the world’s population of critically endangered mountain gorillas, as well as to eastern lowland gorillas, chimpanzees, okapis, lions, elephants and hippos.

Virunga National Park is located in North Kivu province, where armed groups are fighting for control of territorial and natural resources, and poaching is a major threat.

The park’s director, Emmanuel de Merode, a Belgian national, was himself wounded in a road ambush between the park and Goma, the capital of North Kivu, in May 2014.


Tourism Observer

DR CONGO: 7 Baby Mountain Gorillas Born To Virunga National Park In Only 6 Weeks

Virunga’s rangers couldn’t be happier with the way 2018 has begun.

The first of seven births happened on January 7th, when Sebutimbiri of the Mapuwa family gave birth to a baby boy.

Several days later four more babies were born within five days of each other.

With January in the books, rangers understandably thought they had seen the last of the excitement for a while.

The Bageni family proved them wrong. On February 4th, Mivumbi gave birth to a boy and then on the 12th, Rwubaka, also of the Bageni family, gave birth to a boy.

Yes, much of this is due to good fortune, but it could never have happened without the dedication and sacrifice of Virunga’s rangers.

Day in and day out, the rangers sweep the gorilla sector for snares and stay close to the gorilla families to protect them.

The Gorilla Doctors also play a pivotal role in keeping the gorillas healthy and thriving.

A decade ago, there were only 720 mountain gorillas left on earth.

Since then, the population has grown to just under 1000, with Virunga’s population growing among the fastest.

One thousand mountain gorillas is still precious few, but the trend is moving in the right direction.

If you would like to take part in making sure Virunga’s mountain gorillas continue their remarkable recovery, please consider making a donation here.



Tourism Observer

UGANDA: Mountain Gorillas

Silverback (Male Mountain Gorilla)
Mgahinga is home to the habituated Nyakagezi gorilla group - a fairly nomadic bunch that has been known to cross the border into Rwanda and the Congo.

The family includes the lead silverback Bugingo who is around 50 years old and father to most of the group; his silverback sons, Mark and Marfia; and two blackbacks, Rukundo and Ndungutse, who love to pose and play in the trees.

The two females, Nshuti and Nyiramwiza, both have babies Furraha and Nkanda respectively.

The mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei) is one of the two subspecies of the eastern gorilla. There are two populations.

One is found in the Virunga volcanic mountains of Central Africa, within three National Parks: Mgahinga, in south-west Uganda Volcanoes, in north-west Rwanda; and Virunga in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The other is found in Uganda's Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Some primatologists consider the Bwindi population in Uganda may be a separate subspecies though no description has been finished. As of November 2012, the estimated total number of mountain gorillas is around 880.

Historically Mountain gorillas are descendants of ancestral monkeys and apes found in Africa and Arabia during the start of the Oligocene epoch (34-24 million years ago). The fossil record provides evidence of the hominoid primates (apes) found in east Africa about 18–22 million years ago.

The fossil record of the area where mountain gorillas live is particularly poor and so its evolutionary history is not clear It was about 9 million years ago that the group of primates that were to evolve into gorillas split from their common ancestor with humans and chimps; this is when the genus Gorilla emerged.

It is not certain what this early relative of the gorilla was, but it is traced back to the early ape Proconsul africanus. Mountain gorillas have been isolated from eastern lowland gorillas for about 400,000 years and these two taxa separated from their western counterparts approximately 2 million years ago .

There has been considerable and as yet unresolved debate over the classification of mountain gorillas. The genus was first referenced as Troglodytes in 1847, but renamed to Gorilla in 1852.

It was not until 1967 that the taxonomist Colin Groves proposed that all gorillas be regarded as one species (Gorilla gorilla) with three sub-species Gorilla gorilla gorilla (western lowland gorilla), Gorilla gorilla graueri (lowland gorillas found west of the Virungas) and Gorilla gorilla beringei (mountain gorillas including, Gorilla beringei found in the Virungas and Bwindi).

In 2003 after a review they were divided into two species (Gorilla gorilla and Gorilla beringei) by The World Conservation Union (IUCN).

Physically the fur of the mountain gorilla is often thicker and longer than of other gorilla species, enables them to live in colder temperatures.

The gorilla is massive, with a short, thick trunk and broad chest and shoulders. Its eyes and ears are dwarfed by its large head and hairless, shiny black muzzle.

Older males develop a crown of muscle and hair that makes the head look even longer. The arms are longer than the stubby legs. The fully adult male mountain gorilla is twice as large as the female.

Adult males are called silverbacks because a saddle of gray or silver-colored hair develops on their backs with age. The hair on their backs is shorter than on most other body parts, and their arm hair is especially long. Fully erect, males reach 1.9 m (6 ft. 3 in) in height, with an arm span of 2.3 m (7 ft. 7 in) and weigh 220 kg

The mountain gorilla inhabits the Albertine Rift montane cloud forests and of the Virunga Volcanoes, ranging in an altitude from 2,200–4,300 meters (7,200–14,100 ft.).

Most are found on the slopes of three of the dormant volcanoes: Karisimbi, Mikeno, and Visoke. The vegetation is very dense at the bottom of the mountains, becoming sparser at higher elevations, and the forests where the mountain gorilla lives are often cloudy, misty and cold.

The mountain gorilla is primarily an herbivore; the majority of its diet is composed of the leaves, shoots and stems (85.8%) of 142 plant species.

It also feeds on bark (6.9%), roots (3.3%), flowers (2.3%), and fruit (1.7%), as well as small invertebrates. (0.1%). Adult males can eat up to 34 kilograms of vegetation a day, while a female can eat as much as 18 kilograms.

The mountain gorilla is highly social and lives in relatively stable, cohesive groups held together by long-term bonds between adult males and females. Relationships among females are relatively weak.

These groups are nonterritorial; the silverback generally defends his group rather than his territory. In the Virunga mountain gorillas, the average length of tenure for a dominant silverback is 4.7 years .61% of groups are composed of one adult male and a number of females and 36% contain more than one adult male.

The remaining gorillas are either lone males or exclusively male groups, usually made up of one mature male and a few younger males Group sizes vary from five to thirty, with an average of ten individuals.

A typical group contains: one dominant silverback, who is the group's undisputed leader; another subordinate silverback,usually a younger brother, half-brother, or even an adult son of the dominant silverback; one or two black backs, who act as sentries; three to four sexually mature females, who are ordinarily bonded to the dominant silverback for life; and from three to six juveniles and infants.


The gorilla is shy and retiring rather than ferocious and treacherous. It usually seeks no trouble unless harassed but will valiantly defend its family group if threatened. Family groups are close-knit and may have up to 30 members, but even if smaller, the group usually consists of at least one older male, one or more females and a few juveniles.

Gorillas have strong attachments to members of their own group and even when groups meet and mingle and then subsequently part, each animal tends to remain with its respective unit.

An adult male called a silverback named for the silvery gray hairs on its back normally leads each group, serving as its chief protector and defender. Gorillas continually wander through their home ranges of 10 to 15 square miles, feeding and resting throughout the day.

Because gorillas are nomadic, they build new nests each day at dusk, constructing them of bent branches in a tree or of grasses on the ground.

A group's hierarchy, ritualized behavior and bluff charges between males prevent conflict among and between groups.

Gorillas scream, grab foliage and stuff it in their mouths, stand erect on their hind legs, tear up and throw plants, drum on the chest with hands or fists, stamp their feet, strike the ground with the palms of their hands and gallop in a mock attack on all fours.

Mountain gorillas have a slow rate of reproduction. Females give birth for the first time at about age 10 and will have more offspring every three or four years.

A male begins to breed between 12 and 15 years, when he is in charge of his own group. Able to conceive for only about three days each month, the female produces a single young.

Newborn gorillas are weak and tiny, weighing in at about 4 pounds. Their movements are as awkward as those of human infants, but their development is roughly twice as fast.

At 3 or 4 months, the gorilla infant can sit upright and can stand with support soon after. It suckles regularly for about a year and is gradually weaned at about 31/2 years, when it becomes more independent.

Though strong and powerful, gorillas are generally gentle and shy. Severe is rare in stable groups, but when two mountain gorilla groups meet, the two silverbacks can sometimes engage in a fight to death, using their canines to cause deep, gaping injuries.

The entire sequence has nine steps: (1) progressively quickening hooting, (2) symbolic feeding, (3) rising bipedally, (4) throwing vegetation, (5) chest-beating with cupped hands, (6) one leg kick, (7) sideways running, two-legged to four-legged, (8) slapping and tearing vegetation, and (9) thumping the ground with palms to end display.



Tourism Observer

RWANDA: RwandAir To Commence Kigali To London Flights On 26th May 2017

RwandAir will launch the first non-stop flight from the UK to Rwanda, one of the fastest growing tourism destinations in Africa, on May 26th.

Operating three times a week from London Gatwick to the Rwandan capital Kigali, the service offers easy access for UK passengers.

The flights, on a new Airbus A330-200, will offer travellers Business, Premium Economy and Economy cabins three times a week, on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.

The flight time is eight hours 40 minutes.

Passengers travelling on the new RwandAir service in Business Class will be able to take advantage of fully-flat beds and convenient overnight flights.

British travellers are among the top five nationalities to visit Rwanda, which welcomed 1.3 million people last year.

They’re attracted by the incredible scenery, the opportunity for a unique experience visiting mountain gorillas and big game safari.

The recent arrival of black rhinos in the country means that Rwanda is now offering one of the best safari experiences in Africa.

Travellers can explore Rwanda’s diverse ecosystems in its three national parks.

Volcanoes National Park, along the Congo border, is famed for its mountain gorillas but also home to the endangered golden monkey.

RwandAir’s new Airbus 330 which will operate the London Gatwick to Kigali service

The chief tourism officer at the Rwanda Development Board, Belise Kariza, commented: “Rwanda has seen a transformation in recent years and is now becoming one of the most sought-after destinations for premium travellers.

With the new non-stop RwandAir flights to Kigali, and the opening of several premium lodges, Rwanda will be making a big impact as a must-visit country.” 


The newly opened Kigali Convention Centre is also driving the transformation of Kigali into a hub for Meetings, Incentive Conferences and Exhibitions.

Rwanda has been named the third best MICE destination in Africa and will also host the World Travel Awards Africa Gala Ceremony in October.

Meanwhile,the latest G650 has taken off from Savannah, Georgia, and headed to the Chinese coastal city of Tianjin to join the fleet of Deer Jet.

This G650 becomes the first private jet of its class registered in mainland China.

Frank Fang, vice president of Deer Jet, said: “We are very honoured to take over the management and operation of the very first G650 registered in China.

“To date, Deer Jet owns three licences to operate a fleet of 90 aircraft worldwide, with two thirds of the jets as managed fleet.

“This new addition demonstrates Deer Jet’s unparalleled 22-years of safety records and operational excellence, in recognition for the company’s global operations capabilities.

“Once again, Deer Jet built a milestone for China’s and the global business aviation industry.

“We created the first private jet company of China, operated the first G450 and G550 in China, and became the first company to operate ultra-long range BBJ and ACJ series in China.

“And most recently, we added to our managed fleet the world’s first BBJ 787.”

The addition of the new G650 marks the start of Deer Jet’s 2017 ambitious plan to further expand its managed fleet.

Already ten more G650/G650ER series are expected to join Deer Jet’s fleet in the near future.

UGANDA: AUTO To Sell Gorilla Permits, UWA To Do Wildlife Conservation

UWA executive director Andrew Seguya (R) exchanges the signed MoU with Ms Barbara Vanhelleputte, the chairperson Association of Uganda Tour Operators in Kampala last week.

The Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) has outsourced the selling of gorilla tracking permits to the Association of Uganda Tour Operators (AUTO) in a move meant to increase sales.

Speaking at the launch of the partnership last week, UWA executive director Andrew Seguya said the move will enable UWA concentrate on its conservation mandate to ensure that the gorillas are available while AUTO does the marketing of the product so as to boost gorilla tracking as a tourism product.

Under the new arrangement, which has already taken effect, AUTO will be getting a commission of $600 (about Shs2.2m )for every 30 permits the association sells. This will strengthen the association’s capacity to market Uganda’s tourism potential by organising exhibitions and tourism promotion events.

“For every 30 tickets that AUTO sells as group, we shall offer them a complimentary permit for a non-resident foreign client and we shall be declaring them every quarter on top of the $10 that we give them currently for every permit they sell,” Dr Seguya said.

He added: “We have picked interest in conservation and AUTO is our biggest partner in selling the permits. We want to raise conservation and ensure the park is free of encroachment and other threats.”

AUTO chairperson Barbara Vanhelleputte welcomed the partnership following discussions which have taken some time coupled with the positive media coverage of Uganda as a tourism destination. This has increased the number of tourists coming from Britain, Germany, Netherlands and Europe which are the major tourism source markets.

“We hope this will boost the promotion of Uganda as a tourism destination,” she said.

The gorilla brand
The Mountain Gorillas, with a current population of more than 440, is Uganda’s tourism flag brand. UWA currently has 104 permits available daily to track 13 gorilla families which have been habituated but are under threat because of encroachment on their habitat.

The authority hopes that the new partnership will raise income for UWA, AUTO and the host communities to promote conservation.