Birding Jo

Tag: gorillas

  • Mountain Gorillas : Meeting the King Kong

    Mountain Gorillas : Meeting the King Kong

    “The clearest way to the Universe is through the forest wilderness.“
    – John Muir (also known as “John of the Mountains” and “Father of the National Parks”)

    Till about a few years ago, I could only dream of seeing a Mountain Gorilla in the wild. I was contend watching documentaries on the Nat Geo or Animal Planet and be inspired by the likes of Sir David Attenborough. However, I have been lucky to have landed in the lands of mountain gorillas – East Africa and Uganda to be precise.

    Uganda boasts of hosting (protecting) about 50% of the worlds surviving mountain gorillas. There are multiple areas where tourists can visit these primates in their natural habitat. One of the first questions which comes to mind – is it not dangerous? Well, there is an elaborate system of ensuring the safety of these animals in the wild as well as that of the tourists. Without going into too many details, these gorillas, while still in the wild, have been habituated to human presence. Since they inhabit dense rainforests, it is an exhilarating experience overall.

    The mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei) is one of the two subspecies of the eastern gorilla (Gorilla beringei). The total population is estimated to be about 1000. A major portion of the population lives in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, and the balance live in the Virunga Forests which spread in three adjacent national parks (across three countries) i.e., Uganda’s Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park, and Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

    I decided to visit the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, in the SW Uganda, which is about 425 km (by road) from Entebbe. Below are some snapshot of my meeting with the Gorillas.

    The King Kong – A silver back mountain gorilla. As the name suggests, these are the adult males, whose hair on the back turns silver (from black) at an age of about 12 years. These are generally the alpha males in the group. Growing up to 172 to 180 cm in height, these bulky primates can weigh upto 200 kgs. (heaviest was recorded to be about 265 kgs). Females are shorter and lighter. In the picture is Bweza (meaning the Handsome, in local language) – photographed in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Uganda, 29 March 2021.
    I see you, cousin. I realised that the Gorillas were least interested in our presence – they were quite focused on their prime interest / activity of feeding. Was lucky to have Bweza glance towards me and be able to capture that moment.

    In Uganda, there are about 18 family groups of Gorillas which have been habituated – a two years process, in which Gorillas are gradually exposed to human presence in their environment. As such, gorillas are gentle by nature. Once the families are habituated, no more than 8 tourists are allowed to visit them for more than an hour.

    I think therefore I am. A young male having his quiet time. I now understand, why we consider these primates quite akin to humans.
    A young (few months old) baby riding piggy back on its mother’s back. The babies are cared for like humans. The mother moved too quickly for me to get a picture of her face in the frame.
    A perspective : notice the two small areas in the world, where mountain gorillas exist in the wild.
    The youngest member was a 2 month old baby, clinging to his mother. Don’t mind the clutter and branches – with gorillas, that’s a called a Candid Shot.
    A thinking mother and a sleeping baby – the baby’s head under mother’s chin. How they all look like one bundle of black hair.
    Yes, I agree they are quite like humans !! No more proof required. See the baby’s head and hand.
    The nose reminds me of another interesting fact – Gorillas can be identified by nose prints, which are unique to each individual
    Notice, how the mother holds the young one – exactly as we humans do.
    Another young one (about 10 months old) was moving about independently – exploring his world with gentle playfulness.
    Are we one soul ??
    I think, we are.
    One grown up male, about 6-7 years old, foraging. Quite dexterous and human like in use of his hands.

    A word about the taxonomy of mountain gorillas. It was not until 1967 that the taxonomist Colin Groves proposed that all gorillas be regarded as one species (Gorilla gorilla) with three subspecies Gorilla gorilla gorilla (western lowland gorilla), Gorilla gorilla graueri (lowland gorillas found west of the Virungas) and Gorilla gorilla beringei (mountain gorillas, including Gorilla beringei, found in the Virungas and Bwindi). In 2003, after a review, they were divided into two species (Gorilla gorilla and Gorilla beringei) by The World Conservation Union (IUCN). Hence, the mountain gorillas are gorilla beringei. They have thicker hair cover to protect them from cold and incessant rains in their habitat.

    Another member of the family. It was a very pleasant realisation that how comfortable these primates are in their natural habitat. Absolutely one with the thick undergrowth where plants bite with equal ferocity as the insects. Its their sitting room.
    Talking of rooms – did you know that Gorillas, prepare their nests every evening to spend the night in a comfortable bed made out of the leaves and branches. The alpha (silverback) decides the location. At dawn, they simply leave and move on a new trail to forage, obviously led by the alpha.
    Bweza definitely deserves the final frame. Did you know that gorillas, unlike Chimpanzees are herbivores. They are known to feed on a large variety of plants (leaves and fruits). One if the rangers told me that about 60 of those plants are found in the Bwindi Forests. Another gentle giant in the wild proves that plant based diet is never a limiting factor for muscle building.

    Now you know ‘where’ and ‘how’ to visit the mountain gorillas. The only question that remains to be answered / planned for is ‘When ?’. When are you visiting the King Kong and his family ?

    Happy thinking !!

    PS – Some important links to read up more on gorillas:-

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain_gorilla

    https://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/article/reasons-trek-see-mountain-gorillas-uganda

    https://www.ugandawildlife.org/wildlife-a-conservation/conservation/wildlife-directory/mountain-gorilla

    https://en.unesco.org/courier/news-views-online/uganda-mountain-gorillas-shielded-threats