Gorillas

Last weekend my friend Aryn (who I have to say deserves credit for writing most of this. I am a shameless plagarist) and I trekked through the bamboo forests and thick vegetation of the Virunga Mountains to visit one of the few remaining troops of mountain gorillas that reside in Volcanoes National Park. This is Rwanda's major tourist draw, and we decided to take advantage of the special rates we get as residents and make the splurge. Although it cost quite a bit, it was an amazing experience, standing just feet away from wild mountain gorillas in their natural habitat.

We visited the Hirwa troop, which means lucky in Kinyarwanda. This troop has six youngsters that entertained us throughout the hour we were allowed to spend in their presence. The rule is to stay 7 meters away from the gorillas to prevent the possible transmission of disease, but young gorillas do not always abide by these rules and we were incredibly close. When we first encountered the family, we simply walked into a small clearing, perhaps ten feet wide, with the family on one side and us on the other. The silverback and the adult female that we observed simply sat and ate bamboo while the children rolled around playing on the ground, with the endless energy of toddlers. It was amazing to watch the babies child-like behavior and observe the family dynamics. According to the guides, the silverback of the Hirwa troop is the most attentive father, and we watched him groom several of the babies, grabbing them as they ran past, laying them down, and cleaning them of bugs and dirt. During breaks from cleaning, the silverback continued to chow down on bamboo. Full grown males, which can reach over 400 lbs, can eat over 60 pounds of bamboo in a day so its a pretty constant activity. Interestingly, if the gorillas eat too much bamboo in a day, they can get drunk. Although we didnt observe that, I have some great scenarios playing in my mind about what a drunken gorillas family would look like...

Our companions on the excursion included two guides, a porter, and several trackers who spend their days following the troops so that they can inform the guides where to bring the tourists. Many of the local people who are indirectly employed through the gorilla tracking and the trackers themselves are often former poachers. The government works very hard to keep them employed protecting the animals they once hunted and seeing them as a precious resource rather than target. We were also joined by four other travelers: a honeymooning Swiss-American couple, a German man working in the Maldives, and a British guy who does consulting work with NGOs. Perhaps one of the greatest joys of traveling is meeting other people and sharing stories. All of us have seen and done some pretty amazing things and listening to others recount their experiences traveling made me eager to continue exploring and experiencing this amazing planet.

Here is the link to the beginning of my facebook album about the Gorillas. It will expand slowly over time as the pictures are slowly uploaded.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2023110&l=ef159&id=48101028