Ugandan conservationists are now keeping track of a visiting group of gorillas from neighboring country Rwanda.

The Hirwa group of 18 gorillas has been in Uganda's Mgahinga National Park for about three weeks now.

Mgahinga National Park is located at the border with Rwanda, and is part of the Virunga Massive, an expanse of volcanoes and forests that span across Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). There are about 600 gorillas in the park.

Hirwa stands for "luck" in native Kinyarwanda, while the Hirwa gorilla family often wander around the border areas.

The country's Wildlife Authority says the migration is a boost to gorilla tracking revenues which they use in conservation work. This includes animal trans-locations, containing diseases, and law enforcement.

According to the conservationists, migration of gorillas is seasonal and they will return to their habitat in Rwanda in time. Thereforem they advocate for the primates to stay healthy during their seasonal migration.

Gorilla tracking alone brings in about 70 percent of Uganda's tourism revenues. The more gorillas there are in the park, the more tourists will come to spot them.

(Cover image via VCG.)

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