Ecocentric

How to Greet a Mountain Gorilla

Rwanda's mountain gorillas are the centerpiece of a program that combines tourism with conservation

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Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park is home to more than 480 critically endangered mountain gorillas. As part of an effort by the Rwanda Tourist Board to combine tourism and conservation, the park now offers gorilla tours. For around $500, visitors can spend an hour up close and personal with a clan of mountain gorillas. Proceeds from the tours fund further conservation efforts and help build schools for local villages. Video Journalist Ed Robbins recently took the tour and learned what to do (and not to do) when greeting a mountain gorilla.

PHOTOS: The Mountain Gorillas of Rwanda