The Mountain Gorilla - A Charismatic Giant Under Siege
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Gorillas
are the largest and most charismatic of the great apes. After
chimpanzees, they
are our closest biological kin and share upto 98% of our genes. They
bear an unmistakable affinity to humans by way of intelligence,
physiological structure
and behaviour patterns.
This may perhaps explain mans fascination with these gentle giants as he continues on the journey to understand
himself.
Gorillas
are colossal afro-anthropoids with characteristic long forelimbs, and
are known for their classic chest thumping. They inhabit some of
Africa's remaining tropical rainforests. These great ape species are
scientifically known as Gorilla gorilla. They are classified into 3
sub-species, which
are all are quite similar, except for minor distinctions in size, build
and colour.
Gorilla gorilla gorilla, also known as the western
lowlands
gorilla, is the most populous sub-species and has its origins in West
Africa. It is the common zoo type and numbers about 50,000 in the wild.
Gorilla gorilla
graueri, the eastern lowland gorilla, is found in eastern Democratic
Republic of Congo (DRC) -formerly Zaire. In terms of survival, it is the
lesser of the
genus and is rarely found in captivity. This species numbered
approximately 15,000 in the 1960's; today only a measly 2,500 survive in
the
wild.
The least successful and most delicate of the gorilla genus
is the Gorilla beringei beringei, otherwise known as the mountain
gorilla. This
species was unknown to science until the German explorer Oscar Von
Beringer encountered it in 1902.
Its preferred habitat is the high altitude and
bamboo forests.
Treading on the verge of extinction, less than
700 of this species are found in the wild, with none in captivity. Their
very last
redoubt is in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park of southwest Uganda,
and in the mists of the Virunga Mountains of northeast-Central Africa.
The Virunga
sanctuaries are Mgahinga Gorilla (Uganda), Volcano (Rwanda) and Virunga
(DRC) National Parks. Here, the mountain gorilla faces the threats of
habitat loss,
pressures of man at war, poaching for the bush meat trade and the
emergence of new terrifying diseases like Ebola.
Though hardly
out of the woods,
their lot is considered to be improving as by 1989 numbers had dropped
to 624. This has arisen after years of heroic labour by conservation
groups, working
under very challenging conditions. In particular, the African Wildlife
Fund, Fauna & Flora International and the World Wide Fund for Nature
are working
together with the respective governments under the International Gorilla
Conservation Programme (IGCP).
The Virungas are a chain of eight
volcanoes
running through the western branch of the Rift Valley, at the interface
of Uganda, DRC and Rwanda. The highest peak rises to 13,540 ft. Some of
the volcanoes
are active, and the violent convulsions of the Nyiragongo in 2002
brought about substantial destruction to the town of Goma (DRC) and the
surrounding
area.
The Virunga sanctuaries host half the worlds' entire
population of mountain gorillas. The Congo part of the Virunga's is in
particular the
most vulnerable to deforestation as the country has long been at war and
law enforcement continues to be such a daunting proposition.
Mountain
gorillas are a generally shy and calm species. This will surprise those
whose encounter with gorillas is through movies, most of which
portray them as out-size ferocious monsters. Dian Fossey in her work
from the late 1960's did much to correct this image. In her, the
gorillas could not
have asked for a more sympathetic and sensitive interpreter.
Today, the mountain gorilla is the most celebrated and perhaps the best understood of
the gorillas.
Dian Fossey was murdered in 1985 at her research
camp at Karisoke on the Rwanda side of the Virunga's. She is famed for
her book
"Gorillas in the Mist", which was turned into a popular film of the same
title starring Sigourney Weaver.
Mountain gorillas have
distinctly gigantic features and are the darkest and hairiest of the
gorillas. The average mature male weighs 160 kg and towers up to 6 ft.
Females are much
smaller but still weigh on average, a substantial 98 kg. Besides their
burly arms -which are longer than their legs, they have enormous chests
and carry
large crested heads. They walk on all four of their husky limbs, hinging
on the knuckles of their forelegs as they toddle on the soles of their
hinds.
The gorillas communicate easily and best using gestures,
postures and body language as well as barks, screams, chatters, roars
and odours.
They can express every emotion in the book in their own special ways,
like cry in sadness and laugh when happy. With some tutoring, they have
shown a
capacity to understand human spoken language and sign language.
They
are highly sociable and live in groups of 2 to 35 individuals,
consisting of
adult males and females, juveniles and infants. Just like a family unit,
group members share a very strong bond and frequently stay together for
life. They
live in a home range of 4-7.5 sq km. Females mature earlier than males
and are ready to procreate at the age of about 9 years. Males mature at
about 12 years
of age when they begin to develop the patch of silvery fur on their
backs that marks the transition from boyhood to manhood. At that stage
they graduate from
blackbacks to silverbacks.
The
silver patch is not perceived as a chevron in respect of rank but as a
sign of age and maturity. The
silverback is usually the group leader, though not all silverbacks
attain this status. Only the finest and most dominant silverback merits
the position. As
the leader, he is charged with protecting the entire group, even at the
cost of his life.
As the chief, he calls the shots and arbitrates
disputes,
usually with the assistance of two or so lesser silverbacks. He decides
on such weighty matters as where the group will repose for the night and
on the
forage area for the day. By way of payback, the chief gets to breed with
most of the females in his group. In some groups, the only mature male
is the
dominant silverback.
The prime silverback is the most feared of
the mountain gorillas, even by others of his genre. He however avoids
physical
confrontation and only charges when provoked or when in his judgment,
his group is threatened. Even then, the initial charge is only to sound a
warning. He
first signals his readiness for war by display of menacing theatrics. He
stretches to full height, roars, screams and barks, as he beats on his
massive chest
to frighten the aggressor or intruder. Woe to those who suffer the wrath
of an angry silverback! For a good specimen can be up to 10 times
stronger than the
biggest American football players.
Though females are the
majority by numbers, they are usually low-key members of the group. Once
she hits
maturity, the gorilla female stagnates in height though continuing to
pile on weight. Similar to human females, they experience a 28-day
menstrual cycle and
an 8-½ month gestation period and have no distinct breeding season. Born
at about 2 kg, infants are totally dependant on their mothers until
they are
weaned at the age 3.
Between the age of 3 and 6, little gorillas
are referred to as juveniles. They cease to be fully dependent and begin
to sleep
in their own nest. The little ones are quite playful and naughty, and
develop twice as fast as human children, with both the males and females
growing at the
same pace. Between the ages of 6 to 8, young adult gorillas seek to
redefine themselves and they may then leave to join another group or,
even rarely, start
their own.
The life expectancy of a mountain gorilla is
relatively short- for they live up to only about 40-50 years. The
average female gives birth
once every 4 to 5 years. The infant mortality rate is however quite
high, and very few make it to adulthood. Gorillas have unfortunately low
immunity against
infections and diseases and most succumb to very minor ailments.
Infectious
diseases and low birth rate aside, it is mans' mischief that stands in
the way of efforts to sustain a healthy mountain gorilla population. In
particular, habitat loss caused by encroachment of forests denies the
gorilla living
space, threatening the very survival of the beringei species. In
addition, the gorilla skull is considered a prized trophy among some
traditional African
tribes, and some gorillas are killed on account of this.
Mountain
gorillas are primarily herbivorous. They feed on a variety of succulent
vegetation
within the dense tropical rainforests. For this reason, they rarely go
in search of water because it is well supplemented in their diet. A
gorilla's top
rated menu include: tender bamboo, tubular thistle flowers, wild celery
and prickly nettles.
Just like man, each individual gorilla has a
unique
identifier- not fingerprints as they have none- but nose prints. Nose
prints are the wrinkles around their noses. Though complex and advanced
animals, they
have some serous limitations: in general they never cross large water
masses (such as a wide river) and they cannot live or survive in a dry
or open
environment.
The gorillas' life revolves around a basic routine.
At daybreak, the silverback leads the group to a good spot where they
can forage.
Feeding continues till mid morning when they take some rest before the
afternoon forage session. While resting, they groom each other, the
little ones play
under their mothers' watchful eye, while others just snooze off. After
the afternoon meal session, another rest period follows till dusk when
they disappear
into the thicket of the forest to prepare their night nests.
The
gorillas have no respect for national boundaries. It is therefore a good
thing that
in 2005, Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo set out to
formalise collaboration in the management of the trans-frontier
conservation area.
Known formally as the Central Albertine Rift Transfrontier Landscape, it
comprises eight national parks and several forest and wildlife reserves
- including
all the gorilla sanctuaries in the three countries.
Rwanda has
demonstrated a commitment to conserving the mountain gorilla. For over
30 years, the
country has practised gorilla eco-tourism. It is ensured that only a
specific number of guided tourists visit the sanctuary at any given time
so as not to
disrupt the animal's daily routine. The conservation authorities are
very keen to sensitise local communities of the importance of endangered
primates, for
it is all too easy for locals to see gorillas as pests and competitors
for scarce land resources.
Though a challenging period, gorillas
largely
survived the 1994 Rwanda war and genocide, in which over one million
people perished. In symbolic gesture Rwanda's president in July 2005,
led a national
ceremony to name 30 baby gorillas born since the restoration of
political stability.
DRC holds the longest mountain gorilla
conservation tenure.
King Albert of Belgium established the present day Virunga National Park
as a gorilla sanctuary way back in 1925. From mid 1950's, the gorillas
and their
habitat drew scientists such as George Schaller and Dian Fossey.
Their research work opened up new horizons for gorilla conservation. Recurrent
political instability in this region continues to be a challenge for conservation efforts.
Uganda
boasts half the entire mountain gorilla population
and is the most popular destination for gorilla tourism. Though gorilla
eco-tourism here is quite recent, conservation practices are strict. The
country's
two centres of mountain gorilla conservation -Mgahinga and Bwindi were
both gazetted as gorilla sanctuaries by the Uganda government in 1991.
As
its
name suggests, the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (331 sq km) really
is impenetrable. With its dense under-growth, the mountain gorillas here
found
themselves the perfect home. Bwindi is also host to 90 mammal species-
including 11 primates, and has great birding. Travelling from Kampala by
road, you
reach Bwindi via Mbarara after 6-8 hours. If you land at Mgahinga, other
activities to sample are bird watching, hiking, volcano climbing, and
cave
exploration. Mgahinga is about 8 hours from Kampala via Kabale by road.
Mountain
gorilla tracking is an exciting thing to do in Uganda. Limited
groups of six tourists each are allowed to track a gorilla group per
day. Chances of sighting gorillas are good but not guaranteed, as the
animals have no
set routes. To be successful you need some luck, but above all a skilled
tracker.
All gorilla trackers must obtain a permit from the Uganda Wildlife Authority
and one can only obtain one permit per day in three months. As a
result, the wait list is long and you
need to book well in advance to secure a tracking slot. To handle the
bureaucracy, it is best to use a reputable agent to secure a permit. In
general, it is
recommended you take an organised gorilla tracking tour package, which includes the permits, accommodation
and transport logistics.
Though expensive, gorilla tracking is
very educative, entertaining, refreshing and for lovers of the natural
world it is
money well spent. Every tracking tour begins at the gorillas' overnight
nests. You then try to trace the paths the gorillas have since taken. It
is not
usually safe to get too close to the gorillas - especially baby
gorillas; about 15 ft is a safe distance to keep.
At Bwindi there
is accommodation
in two luxury-tented camps, a lodge and camping site. At Mgahinga, there
is a campsite at Park Gate, and good lodge accommodation at Kisoro Town
-14 km from
Park Gate. Though you can track gorillas year round, the rainy season is
more challenging.
As it rains almost all year round, on your
gorilla-tracking mission, carry some rain gear. To trail these
rainforest tracks, you'll be advised to bring along a good, comfy pair
of waterproof boots. Also wear
long trousers and sleeved jerseys to beat the bugs and the mountain
cold. Some binoculars will be a big help in locating the gorillas. Also
bring along some
drinking water, sunscreen and photographic equipment. But remember that
using flash when taking photos is not allowed, as it is likely to upset
the
animals.
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Uganda!
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today and we will assist you in picking and booking the best hotel and
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Gorillas
are colossal afro-anthropoids with characteristic long forelimbs, and
are known for their classic chest thumping. They inhabit some of
Africa's remaining tropical rainforests. These great ape species are
scientifically known as Gorilla gorilla. They are classified into 3
sub-species, which
are all are quite similar, except for minor distinctions in size, build
and colour.
Mountain
gorillas are a generally shy and calm species. This will surprise those
whose encounter with gorillas is through movies, most of which
portray them as out-size ferocious monsters. Dian Fossey in her work
from the late 1960's did much to correct this image. In her, the
gorillas could not
have asked for a more sympathetic and sensitive interpreter.
The
silver patch is not perceived as a chevron in respect of rank but as a
sign of age and maturity. The
silverback is usually the group leader, though not all silverbacks
attain this status. Only the finest and most dominant silverback merits
the position. As
the leader, he is charged with protecting the entire group, even at the
cost of his life.
