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Medard Twongyeirwe holds a mound of barbed wire and spears, which have been discovered in Bwindi's Impenetrable Forest during the past three years.

The Uganda Wildlife Authority's head ranger told how up to 30 snares are discovered each month, down from 100 being found during the Covid-19 pandemic when tourism to the area suddenly halted.

Locals try to trap bush bucks for meat, but the contraptions are indiscriminate and snare two mountain gorillas a year.

Holding up the bundle of traps, Medard said: "We try our best to protect wildlife in Bwindi, especially the mountain gorillas. What I'm holding now are parts of snares we uprooted from traps set by poachers. These snares cannot understand a gorilla from a bush buck, but when they're set by poachers, a gorilla can be trapped accidentally, which is why we fight hard to make sure there's no snares set in the forest.

"Reformed poachers also help us locate areas where they've set snares before. They lead us and we uproot them to bring them out. They hand over some of their tools like the spears."

Those are used to stab an animal if discovered alive in the tangle of traps.

Vets, known as the Gorilla Doctors, are always on hand to help the animals if a guide or ranger is concerned that human intervention is needed to help the primates.

Revenue generated from the mountain gorillas is used to give reformed poachers livestock, for example, meaning hungry members of surrounding communities can cut their dependency on the forest.

Four female trackers and guides have become role models to young girls for being "custodians" of endangered mountain gorillas.

Generous Kyosiimire, who has trekked into Bwindi as a tracker of the animals for eight years, called hiking into the dense forest "no joke".

She said: "I've learnt how we can live concurrently together. Them in their wild, us in our communities. But when we're together, I know what we need to do to live with those animals.

"We are custodians of the animals."

She added: "It's shaped me."

Fellow tracker Immaculate Tukamushaba and guides Grace Atuheire and Christine Namusana also told how the job had boosted their confidence, improved their fitness and helped provide income for their families.

Immaculate, who became the area's first female ranger nine years ago, said: "It provides me confidence and courage to move alone in the forest. It has helped me health-wise. Hiking these mountains every day is not easy."

She also described becoming a role model to girls in villages neighbouring the national park.

Immaculate said: "Many people see me as a ranger-tracker. They pick that interest so if a lady can do it, then I can do it. Many villagers, mainly girls, have picked the interest to be ranger trackers because they see if a man can do it, what about me a lady."