Fauna: The Animals of Our District

1A name for a baby gorilla

Every year, Mutesi watches Kwita Izina on television. It is a special ceremony where newborn baby gorillas are given names, just as Rwandan families name a new baby. "Why do we name gorillas?" Mutesi asks. "To show the whole world that we love them and protect them," says her mother.

2What is fauna?

Fauna means all the animals that live in a place. There are two kinds:

• Wild animals live on their own in nature: gorillas, chimpanzees, monkeys, lions, elephants, giraffes, zebras, hippos, crocodiles, snakes, birds and fish.
• Domestic animals are kept by people: cows, goats, sheep, pigs, rabbits, chickens and bees.

3Where Rwanda's wild animals live

Rwanda protects its wild animals in national parks:

Rwanda is one of only three countries in the world where mountain gorillas live in the wild. The others are Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

4Why animals are important

• Tourism: visitors come from all over the world to see gorillas and the animals of Akagera. They pay for permits, hotels, guides and drivers, which gives jobs and money to Rwanda.
• Food and income: domestic animals give milk, meat, eggs and honey, and farmers can sell them.
• Manure: animal dung makes the soil rich for crops.
• Balance of nature: bees carry pollen from flower to flower so fruits can grow, and birds spread seeds that become new trees.
• Culture and learning: cows are very important in Rwandan culture, and scientists and pupils learn from wild animals.

5What happens if we do not protect fauna?

• Poaching (hunting animals when it is against the law) can wipe animals out.
• When forests are cut, animals lose their homes and food, and may come onto farms and eat crops.
• Animals can disappear completely. Lions and rhinos once disappeared from Akagera. Lions were brought back in 2015 and black rhinos in 2017.
• If the animals go, tourists stop coming, and the jobs and money go too.

6How we protect fauna

• Keep national parks safe, with park rangers who stop poachers.
• Obey the laws that forbid hunting protected animals.
• Never buy things made from wild animals, such as ivory or skins.
• Protect forests and wetlands, because they are the animals' homes.
• Take care of domestic animals: feed them well and get them vaccinated.
• Share park money with nearby communities, so everyone gains from protecting animals.

Try it yourself