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Matty Grady
Mountain gorillas are a unique species, with complex personalities and behaviors, as well as interesting social structures. Our researchers take detailed notes about what they see among the gorillas each day, just as Dian Fossey used to do. And now we have a 50-year database of such information!
The walk that tourists take to get to the gorillas is an experience in itself, as it brings you to one of the most beautiful places on earth. This is one of the few remaining tropical mountain forests, located on the steep slopes of the Virunga volcanoes. Gorilla groups are spread out everywhere among the five volcanic mountains (Karisimbi, Bisoke, Sabyinyo, Gahinga, Muhabura), so depending on which group you are going to visit your itinerary will differ. The walk to reach a gorilla group can take from one to several hours, but no matter how long it is, the end result is always amazing.
You will be impressed by the huge size of the adult male gorillas (reaching up to 400 pounds). They are called silverbacks because of the gray color of the hair on their backs. You will notice that the adult females are much smaller and do not have gray backs.
These gorillas are habituated to the presence of humans, which means that they tolerate us without modifying their behaviors, seeing us as a neutral part of their environment. However, in order to maintain this peaceful setting, there are rules for humans to follow.
Gorillas communicate in various ways, including vocalizations, body postures and specific actions. For example, if a gorilla displaces another gorilla from a resting or feeding spot, that means that he is the more dominant one. Researchers record such displacements and use the information to figure out the hierarchy among the males and understand the behaviors in the group.
Gorillas also commonly groom each other. This is a gentle gesture that involves cleaning of the hair to remove dust, leaves and dirt. Observing a mother carefully grooming her infant is one of the most precious moments remembered by many gorilla visitors.
Not all gorilla behaviors are peaceful, however. Antagonistic behaviors are also observed, often when they meet another group or a solitary male. Interactions often start with the males displaying through cheats beat, hooting vocalizations, hitting the ground, or smashing plants. While displaying, gorilla males assume a strut stance posture, with straight tight limbs, arched backs, and heads moving side to side. Displays and strut stance postures are made to impress the opponent, and most of the time the interaction will resolve without an actual physical fight. Displays are also made in within a group, such as when a male wants to show off to females!
Spending time with mountain gorillas is truly one of the most memorable wildlife experiences on earth. Being in and amongst a gorilla family is sure to create memories and impressions that you will never forget. With only 880 mountain gorillas remaining, it is also important for tourists to remember their own behavior when they are with the gorillas, to minimize any potential risk to the gorillas. This means maintaining the required distance, coughing into your arm, and avoiding spitting or eating in the forest.
This innovative tool makes a visit to our Gorillas even more meaningful, as your photos and record of your visit become more than just treasured memories, and now play an important role in ensuring that the wild population continue to be protected, prosper and thrive in Volcanoes National Park.
[At the time of filming "Gorillas in the Mist" it was not uncommon for humans to come into direct contact with gorillas. Since that time, the conservation and scientific communities, as well as the Rwandan government, have agreed that human contact endangers the safety of gorillas. A 25-foot rule was established and DFGFI trackers and anti-poaching patrols do all that they can to avoid touching gorillas.]
She said that due to conservation efforts, Rwanda has been able to improve the gorilla trekking experience for visitors and also increase the amount of support given to local communities through the revenue sharing program.
Gorillas are one of the most playful primates and this has been witnessed by trekkers who have got a chance to watch them in their joyous moods. Just like among other animals including humans, play is commonly associated in young gorillas though sometimes adult gorillas can also play among themselves to share some light moments. Here are five amazing facts associated with playing among gorillas.
Young gorillas are not fans of rest-breaks and they are always seen try to engage themselves when the rest of the group members are trying to take a midday nap. This is when the youngsters decide to play alone and they do this while spinning, leaping off branches and rolling down hills.
Young gorillas are fond of wrestling each other during bouts of play just like some human children. During this kind of play, infants are seen rolling around, jumping over other individuals including their moms and other adults who are not playing. Sometimes they even play while biting and hitting their playmates.
gorillas are far stronger than the average human and this is truly depicted in their style of play. Because of this, people who watch gorillas play tend to think that some of them are getting hurt but it is not so. In fact, gorillas can be heard laughing while playing even though it may appear as if they are fighting. The gorilla style of play tends to be a bit different from that of humans and you can see their play faces with the mouth open, lower lip hanging and no teeth showing.
Gorilla play is just one of the many amazing behaviors of these giant primates who share up to 98 percent of the human DNA. You can get a chance of watching these great apes live as they exhibit their breathtaking behavior through a gorilla safari to one of their habitat in Uganda and Rwanda.
Africa Adventure safaris organize customized gorilla safaris in both Uganda and Rwanda and give you a chance to trek mountain gorillas in some of their favorite homes of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, and Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda.
All you need to do to see mountain gorillas is to contact us and book your gorilla safari and we shall go on and prepare your gorilla permit, comfortable accommodation and safe transport that will give you a lifetime experience.
On the morning of our trek, we were assigned to the Isimbe Group, one of the harder gorilla groups to find, but also one of the largest in the park. A bit apprehensive about the difficulty, our guide reassured us that the lengthy trek would be worth it because the troop included several infants and young gorillas. And so, we set off, trekking for about three hours and relying heavily on our porters for assistance.
Within a few minutes, our group was surrounded by twenty-two gorillas. I could hear gorillas singing while they ate bamboo and grunting as they play-wrestled. A young gorilla laughed while an older female was grooming and tickling it. The silverback, the male in charge of the group, watched us out of the corner of his eye, making sure we were not a threat. Eventually some younger gorillas got a little too noisy for his liking, so he pounded his chest and crashed into the vines to go quiet them down. Just a few minutes later, another guest tapped me on the shoulder signaling for me to move back, as a gorilla with an infant on her back passed directly in front of us! I sat in awe for the entire hour, just trying to take in every second of this once in a lifetime experience.
Mountain gorillas spend about a quarter of their day eating, mainly plants. Around 85% of their diet is made up of leaves, shoots and stems, but gorillas can also eat larvae, snails, ants, and even roots, barks and rotting wood (a good source of sodium/salt).
Most mountain gorillas live in stable family groups of around 10 individuals, with one dominant male and several females. Both males and females in the group care for their infants; hugging, carrying and playing with them.
In early 2009, Park Rangers regained control of Virunga after a period of armed conflict. Shortly after, Park staff began raising awareness of two young orphan mountain gorillas who were in their care. Orphans Ndeze and Ndakasi had been forced by the circumstances of war to live in a tiny compound in the nearby city of Goma. Unlike their natural environment, Goma is heavily polluted, noisy, and largely built on a lava flow devoid of vegetation.
At the end of 2010, two more orphan mountain gorillas, Maisha and Koboko, were transferred to the Senkwekwe Center. They came from Rwanda where they had been living in a small facility. The four gorillas settled in nicely and soon became a tightly knit family. Sadly, both Koboko and Maisha are no longer with us, having passed away due to health complications.
In 2017, Rangers found Mazuka caught in a snare. She had been trapped for a few days, her foot was badly hurt and septic and needed to be amputated, despite the tremendous efforts of our Rangers and gorilla doctors. Even with her disability, Mazuka had three happy years at Senkwekwe Center, before passing away in March 2021 following a short illness.
Sadly the Senkwekwe Center lost another mountain gorilla in September 2021, Ndakasi having succumbed to prolonged illness. There remain two gorillas at the center, Matabishi and Ndeze, who are enjoying a semi-wild enclosure that better reflects their wild habitat, constructed with the help of the GRACE foundation in 2022.
Wake-up begins around 6:00 am when the gorillas begin to play and receive their breakfast. They are let out into the garden at around 7:30 am where they spend the majority of their day playing and eating. When they were much younger, constant care was needed as they were still very young to be on their own, but today they can be left free without a caretaker within the garden.
At 4:00 pm it is time to return to the enclosure for the night. This entails a bribe of more food to get the orphans back from their playground. Here they remain until the following morning. Dinner comes in the form of porridge with added nutrients and probiotics which is served at around 5:00 pm.