Game of Thrones actress Maisie Williams, best known for her role as Arya Stark in the HBO fantasy epic, has completed a visit to Uganda in her capacity as WWF Global Ambassador for Climate and Nature .
Williams, 28, ventured to the heart of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site, to learn about the conservation of endangered mountain gorillas .
The actress was appointed as the first WWF Global Ambassador for Climate and Nature in 2021.
During her visit, she trekked through the dense, misty forest to observe the Rushegura troop, a family of mountain gorillas that has undergone a three-year habituation process to become comfortable with human presence .
Speaking from the shadows of the forest, Williams described her first encounter with the great apes as a profoundly moving experience.
“Seeing mountain gorillas for the first time was quite confronting. They are so similar to humans. I was intimidated by their presence. I wasn’t expecting to feel that way, but at the end of the day, we are in their home and they hold the power and we are guests visiting,” she said .
She described how the gorillas moved fast and expected humans to get out of their way. “I found my instinct was almost to run, which you’re not supposed to do and I didn’t, but I didn’t expect to feel so intimidated by them,” she added .
Williams said her standout moment came when she witnessed a baby gorilla riding on the back of a silverback. “I didn’t realise how rare that was until the trackers told us that they’ve only seen that either once or never before,” she revealed .
The actress, who admitted she had been sceptical about wild animal tourism, praised the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) for maintaining what she called a “gold standard” of ethical tourism .
“I have been sceptical about tourism where you can see wild animals in their natural habitat just because I feel there are instances where those packages may be not quite as ethical as what people are led to believe, but coming here and seeing what is happening in Bwindi Impenetrable is really inspiring and a gold standard of what we can do if we do it correctly,” Williams stated
