Located in the east of Bwindi National Park in the Ruhija sector, Kyaguriro is a unique gorilla family not only in this sector but also in the entire Bwindi National Park.
It was the first habituated gorilla family in this region, initially set aside for research. Since its habituation began in 1995, Kyaguriro continued to enjoy limited visits for only those travelers interested in a behind-the-scenes experience with a family of semi-habituated mountain gorillas.
Kyaguriro was primarily a research group studied by the German Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. Until 2015, when demand for gorilla permits increased, the group was opened for trekking.
The group was originally under the leadership of Zeus (named after the ancient Greek god) due to his age, seniority, and leadership charisma over the other members in his group. Zeus was later attacked by a rival, which resulted in his leaving and being banished into the forest where he lived a lonely life and later died.
Silverback Rukina then took over and led the group for a short time. In April 2015, a tragedy befell Kyaguriro when Rukina was struck dead by lightning, which led to the rise of the amateur Mukiza as the lead silverback.
Mukiza went on to lead the group until he was ambushed by Rukara, who came from the Bitukura family. The fight was tense, leading to the separation of the group to form two in May 2016. One group under Rukara went with all the members, but later Mukiza managed to grab up to 10 individuals to form his own family.
The families were closely monitored for a long time until no signs of reuniting were portrayed. One group under Mukiza was named Kyaguriro B, while the one under Rukara was named Kyaguriro A. Kyaguriro B was later set aside for gorilla research purposes, while Kyaguriro A is open for trekking activities all year long.
Kyaguriro A family is currently composed of 15 members, including two silverbacks, and is often sighted within the deep jungles of the Ruhija region.
