Yes, there are forest elephants in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. There are two types of elephants, savannah and forest elephants. Savannah elephants are the common elephants often since in the various savannah destinations in Africa. They are big and distinctive from their cousins the forest elephants by big ears to cool their bodies. On the other hand, forest elephants are native to the forest areas where they usually dwell.
The forest elephants have much smaller ears compared to their savannah cousins. Their ears are shaped like the map of Africa. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is dominated by an impenetrable forest which bears the perfect habitat for the forest elephants. This impenetrable forest has about 30-50 forest elephants which can be encountered in the forest.
Now that the question of elephants in Bwindi is answered, let us tell you some interesting facts about Bwindi National Park. When talking about Uganda’s incredible tourist destinations, Bwindi Impenetrable International Park takes central stage among this list. Bwindi is located in southwestern Uganda on the border with Rwanda. The park is famous for being the best mountain gorilla destination not just in Uganda but also in the world. The history of this park dates back in time in 1932 when it was first gazetted as a forest reserve. It was divided into two crown forest reserves and named the Kayonza Crown Forest Reserve in the north and the Kasatora Crown Forest Reserve in the south.
Fast forward to 1964, mountain gorillas were spotted in the forest and turned into an animal sanctuary. This was shortly after the combining of the crown forest reserves in 1942 and named the Impenetrable Central Crown Forest. It was gazetted in 1991 as Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and three years later in 1994 recognized as a UNESCO site. The park stretches across the districts of Kabale, Kanungu, and Kisoro spanning 331 square kilometers.
What are the other animals found in Bwindi?
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park given its size and vast tropical montane vegetation, harbors various other animals that are worth your attention. These can be explored on a visit to the park and these animals include the following.
Mountain gorillas
Mountain gorillas are the face of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park since they are the major tourist attraction. They are called mountain gorillas because they dwell in mountainous regions of East Africa.
Mountain gorillas are located in the Virunga conservation area and not anywhere else in the world hence they are considered endangered primate species. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is part of the Virunga conservation area meaning it is a potential habitat for mountain gorillas. This park houses over 459 mountain gorillas accounting for close to half of the world’s population. These primates share over 98% of human DNA with us, meaning we are alike in many ways, the most notable way being their social life. Mountain gorillas live in groups known as gorilla families. Each gorilla family is protected and defended by a male gorilla called a silverback. Mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park can be encountered on a gorilla trekking experience.
Forest buffaloes
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park also houses forest buffaloes as the other giant mammals in the park. Forest buffaloes are distinctively smaller compared to their cousins the cape buffaloes that dwell in the savannah plains of Africa. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park has a relatively large population of forest elephants that go up to over 30 individuals.
Monkeys
Part of the 11 primate species in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, monkeys occupy a significant percentage. These live side by side with their large cousins, chimpanzees and mountain gorillas. Some of the various monkeys to encounter in Bwindi include De Brazza monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, blue monkeys, black-and-white colobus monkeys, L’Hoest’s monkeys, potto, Demidoff’s bushbaby, dusky bushbaby, and olive baboons.
Birds
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is an important birding area since it hosts over 350 bird species including 23 Albertine Rift Valley endemics which cannot be found anywhere else in the world. The vast landscape of Bwindi is a perfect hub for bird species due to its various ecological systems they call home.
The park hosts both migratory birds which come to the park seasonally and endemic birds which are the residents of this park. The most notable bird species include African green broadbill, grey cuckoo-shrike, shelly’s greenbul, yellow-streaked greenbul, red-throated athlete, archer’s robin-chat, white-bellied robin-chat, kivu ground-thrush, mountain yellow warbler, Grauer’s rush warbler, red-faced woodland warbler, short-tailed warbler, black-faced rufous warbler, Grauer’s warbler, chestnut-throated Apalis, collared Apalis, mountain masked Apalis, etc.
What is the best time to spot elephants in Bwindi?
The dry season is always the best time to encounter forest elephants in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. This season is characterized by little or no rainfall and dry weather conditions thus leaving the trails in the park dry and navigable, unlike the wet season when they would be muddy and slippery. The dry season also ensures that the vegetation remains sparse enabling visitors to spot the forest elephants. The dry season runs from June to September and December to February.
