Oprah Gail Winfrey an American talk show host revealed on Friday that she is preparing to travel to Rwanda and trek into the mountain gorillas’ territory.
The trip, Oprah said will be her birthday present (she was born January 29, 1954) and will definitely be a boost to Rwanda’s image and the Visit-Rwanda campaign.
At the latest count, there are over 1,000 mountain gorillas in the wild, with over 600 in the Virunga Volcanic range.
Through the concerted efforts of government, communities, and NGOs, the mountain gorillas are the only population of great apes in the world that is increasing.
There are 23 groups of gorillas living in and around the Volcanoes National Park, of which 12 are fully habituated for visits, with the other groups habituated solely for scientific research.
Each group consists of at least one silverback along with several females and youngsters.
Meanwhile, Oprah’s trip to Rwanda has begun stirring a storm on social media as more reactions pour in.
For example, Barbara Mulvaney an American attorney who was the lead prosecutor in the trial of Col. Theoneste Bagosora a key planner and executor of the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi which claime over a million lives, has congragulated Oprah for choosing to visit Rwanda.
“Oprah just said her birthday present is a trip to Rwanda to see the Gorillas!!!! Here’s a pic from one of my visits- my very very favorite place. A magical place of peace and joy,” Barbara Mulvaney immediately reacted to Oprah’s planned trip to Rwanda.
