Mountain Gorilla Trekking
Human beings share 97% of the same DNA as a gorilla. The mountain gorilla is the rarest of all the apes, and were first ‘discovered’ in 1902, when a German officer named Oscar von Beringe shot two of them dead. His name, ironically, was attached to the subspecies - gorilla gorilla beringei. There are now only 600 left in the world. The mountainous region that straddles Uganda, Rwanda and the D.R.C in East Africa is the only fragile environment in which Mountain Gorilla are able to survive. Gorilla have never been reared successfully in captivity and there are none in zoos. There’s only one mountain gorilla for every ten million people on earth.
Few Gorilla's have been habituated for humans to visit, and these rare mountain apes are sometimes not easy to find. This is what makes gorilla tracking such an exciting and privileged adventure. You can go gorilla tracking at two of Uganda’s national parks, both in the southwest of the country.
Mgahinga on the slopes of the Virunga Volcanoes that border Rwanda and the D.R.C, near the town of Kisoro, and at Bwindi, a nearby tract of impenetrable forest not far from the town of Kabale.
Joining a Gorilla tracking tour group
Once you join a Gorilla tracking group, the chances of sighting the gorillas are excellent, although it may take up to several hours to find them in the rainforest. Be prepared to hike through some rugged country – steep hills, thorny trees, tangled vines, and damp slippery floors laden with matted vegetation and mud, giving you every opportunity to fall over. Your gorilla tracking experience starts at 8:30 in the morning and occasionally lasts the whole day. It can be exhausting, but sometimes it may not be as difficult as that. Gorillas have been located only 10 minutes away from the campsite before. All treks are accompanied by expert Gorilla trekking guides and two trackers who follow the scents and movement of the gorillas from the previous day. They make your path a little more bearable by hacking through the undergrowth with machetes. In the unlikely event that there are no visitors on a particular day, these dedicated park employees still visit the Mountain gorilla groups to maintain habituation and check that they are okay.
Mountain Gorillas live in groups led by a male silverback – named for the silver band of fur around his torso that occurs naturally when a male becomes dominant. Mountain Gorillas are vegetarians and spend their days foraging for fruits, shoots, stems and flowers, all containing lots of water, so they don’t need to drink very often. They communicate using a wide range of facial expressions, gestures and noises – just as humans do. At night, the silverback chooses a sleeping spot and each gorilla gathers vegetation to prepare their nest for the night.
The gorillas seem not to like open areas - they would rather go around a meadow than cross it. This means that when the trackers do find them, watching the gorillas is likely to be done through dense and dark vegetation. Don’t expect great photos, and since using a flash is not permitted, ensure you have fast film.
The Gorilla trackers use the previous night’s nest as a starting point for searching, and follow the flattened foliage and piles of dung that indicate in which direction the gorillas headed that morning. Finding them is hugely exciting, and your Gorilla tracker will immediately motion for the group to stay quiet and drop to the floor. In those first few moments of hushed suspense, discovering that you are sitting only five metres from a gorilla in the undergrowth is a spine tingling experience. The first glimpse of a mountain gorilla might be a baby up a tree, a female quietly munching on a branch, even a silverback pounding his chest. Soon, more of the members of the group will come into sight as they – equally inquisitive of the human group – move closer and stare back. Sometimes the gorillas charge – when this happens you must crouch down slowly, do not look the gorillas directly in the eye, and wait for the animals to pass. Do not take photos or attempt to run away, as this will increase the risk of attack.
It’s also happened before on gorilla tracks that a silverback has had impromptu sex with one of the females. One group had the rare privilege of watching a female giving birth. They’re also quite cheeky – there’s nothing more startling than a gorilla’s fart and you may have to dodge a stream of urine coming from a tree above. Sometimes the gorillas try to get closer. The trackers try to keep a five metre distance because of the dangers of contracting disease – but this cannot always be maintained when a playful young gorilla has his eye on someone’s cap and takes a lunge forward. Remember that old TV wildlife documentary scene when David Attenborough is side- swiped by a gorilla? Well that is what it’s really like. All too soon the time is up and the gorilla guide will lead you reluctantly away for the long but exhilarated trek back. It’s an awesome and privileged thrill to meet these amazing creatures in the wild.
Why does a gorilla trekking permit cost so much?
Gorilla permits cost between US$500 - 600 depending where you see them. The Ugandan wildlife authorities have priced the permits to protect the gorilla groups, and there is no shortage of people willing to pay. For this, you get to watch a family of gorillas, a guide and trakkers - possibly one of the most expensive wildlife-watching experiences on the planet. For years these gorillas have been ruthlessly hunted for their hands and heads and sold as souvenirs. Many have been killed whilst trying to stop poachers stealing babies to sell to zoos, where they ultimately die.
The ever-growing number of tourists paying to go on a gorilla track is an important factor for their survival. The gorilla permit fee finances patrols that are instrumental in protecting the gorillas’ home from poachers and their lethal snares. A percentage of the fee is donated to local communities living adjacent to the parks to contribute to the development of natural resource management. The region where these parks are located is one of the poorest and most densely populated in Uganda, with roughly 225 people living in every square kilometre. On any gorilla trek, you will see how people and gorillas have to compete for so little space and resources. It’s been the case that a person desperate to feed his family will enter the forest and poach for food. By the same token, it’s happened that a gorilla will leave the forest to raid a farmer’s maize field, destroying that farmer’s livelihood in the process. Conflict between people and wildlife in Africa takes many forms. A gorilla permit may be expensive but there’s good reason for it.
What are the Gorilla trekking rules?
For conservation reasons, mountain Gorilla trekking is tightly controlled. The following rules and advice are sensible.
Wash your hands before and after a Mountain gorilla trek. Anyone with a contagious disease – even flu or diarrhoea – is not allowed to visit the Mountain gorillas. If you feel the urge to cough or sneeze when you are near the Mountain Gorillas, turn your head away and cover your nose and mouth.
The group must listen to the trekking guide and trackers at all times; stay very close together and do not surround the gorillas.
Don’t get closer than five metres. This is not always possible, but please try. The further back you are, the more relaxed the gorillas will be. Don’t make any loud noises or sudden movements. Your safety with the gorillas depends on them thinking they are the dominant party. Do not touch the gorillas, they are wild animals. They might look cuddly but…!
No flash photography. If you have a camera with an automatic flash, cover it with Elastoplast or duct tape.
If you have to go to the loo on a gorilla track, ensure everything is buried well below ground. Don’t drink, eat or smoke within 200 metres of the gorillas.
Do not dispute the time spent with the gorillas. Over exposure to human contact is harmful. If the gorillas become agitated or nervous, the guide will finish the visit early, and remember, no one forces them to stay there for the allotted time. They can fade into the forest whenever they want to.
|
