Tracking Gorillas, Once in a Life Time Experience!
Uganda is a premier primate viewing destination, home to half of the world’s surviving mountain gorillas, a large population of chimpanzees, and a dazzling variety of smaller monkeys. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is known as one of Africa’s most ancient habitats as it has thrived right through the last Ice Age, 12,000 to 18,000 years ago, when most of the continent forest disappeared. The terrain of this impenetrable forest is mountainous and home to an estimated 360 gorillas. Of the 28 gorilla families living in the park, 9 have been habituated to the presence of humans. The habituating process can take a total of 2 to 3 years. After a gorilla family is identified, a group of four rangers start visiting them for a short period of time on a daily basis. In the first week, the gorillas are very aggressive and charge them. The rangers visiting the gorillas have to do exactly the same thing they do during the initial six months and the contact must occur at the same time every day. After this period, the rangers can be different and stay for a few hours longer. Rangers also imitate the gorilla’s noises and beat their chest like they do.
We reached Uganda with the hope of having close contact with the mountain gorillas. The only force against our dream was the high cost of the daily permits issued by the Uganda Wildlife Authority for gorilla trekking. We ran with luck and found a reliable tourist operator who managed to find two last minute cancelled permits at a significant lower price for us. In a few minutes, we made our mind and decided to take this unbelievable chance. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity, everything we had wished for and a confirmation that the sun continues to shine our way.
On March 4, 2014 we woke up at 3:30 am and hit the road by 4 am to travel from Kabale to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. We reached the village of Buhoma entering park gate at 7:40 am, had some breakfast, paid our permits, completed registration, a briefing, and started trekking by 9 am. We became part of a group of eight visitors on the search for the Rushegura gorilla family, accompanied by a park ranger, two armed men escorting at the front and back of the trekking line, and two porters carrying the luggage of some of the other tourists. Two trackers had entered the park at 7:30 am, before us, to find the gorillas’ location. They started at the location where the Rushegura family was seen the previous day and continued to follow their trail. Our ranger was in constant communication on the radio with the trackers ahead of us and used a machete to open up the trail. The impenetrable forest unfolded its beauty every step along the way: the sounds of a virgin river running under a bridge welcomed us, an enclosing forest of fern and moss brought peaceful sensations and the greatest desire to stay, and the green light filtering between the dense layers of the forest were magical. Our feet were trapped a few times between strong branches as if were an invitation from nature to never leave.
We hiked into the hilly, dense jungle for three hours, tracking the gorillas until we finally met them. The challenging and strenuous trail increased our appreciation and perspective of this experience: we were literally entering their world and the contact could only happen within their terms! By the moment we reached them, the Rushegura family, composed of 15 gorillas, was on their lunch time. We found them on the top of high trees, enjoying some fruits in season. We waited patiently and when we saw them coming down the thought of being able to meet us face to face was exciting. When the first gorilla came down the tree, we were just 3 meters (10 ft) away from her. Our happiness was mixed with uncertainty, we did not know what would happen and an undoubted fear pushed us to step away. She looked us directly, our eyes met! The joy of the contact was immense! We stayed there looking at her as she sat on the ground with her back laying on the tree, completely relaxed, eating some tasty leaves. We were amazed by her peacefulness, we were finally together! Little by little, the other members of the Rushegura family joined us. We were captivated by their presence, sitting less than one meter away from them, time flew. One of the most beautiful moments took place when a female gorilla and her baby came down a tree. The small baby following his mother’s example, held onto the trunk of a tree to slide down. The proportion between his small arms and the thickness of the trunk made the scene simply unforgettable. The silverback, the biggest male in the Rushegura family, also made his appearance, his size and noises made it clear, he is the leader of the clan.
The Uganda Wildlife Authority allows visitors to stay for only one hour with the gorillas. Our ranger permitted us to stay an-hour-and-a-half, including the time the gorillas were eating up on the trees. When the time was over, we were asked to walk away. We struggled to accept our dream had come to an end. Our perception of time had been significantly tainted by the excitement. With appreciation, nostalgia, and even some hiding tears we said goodbye to the gorillas. On the walk back, the tenderness of their eyes, their hands, and their behavior was fresh in our minds. We have been fortunate to enter their impenetrable rainforest to meet them and we were glad to have contributed, even on a small scale, to the preservation of their species. Mountain gorillas may not be able to speak or write like humans and even though experts say we, humans, are not in the same “line of evolution” with them, they have been able to live in harmony with their environment better than we do. As we were exiling their paradise, leaving behind the peaceful sounds of the tropical forest, we realized once again how much we have to learn from other creatures in this world. The wisdom and intelligence behind nature is indescribable. We, homo-sapiens, still have a long way to go…
Mountain Gorilla Coming Down
Mountain Gorillas
