Gorillas - Ancestors in the forest

High in the mountains of East Africa, deep in the lush green forests of the Congo, a trail of trampled scrub and broken branches reveal the playground of a species all but lost. A grunting dialogue and rustle of foliage beneath the forest becomes louder and more distinct indicating our proximity to one of wildlife’s most commanding presence.

Mountain Gorillas, amongst the great apes, they are the epitome of nature’s dominant order. Overwhelming the senses, we become privy to the unique behaviour of the Mountain Gorillas. In their diminishing environment threatened by forest degradation and the encroaching progress of humanity, they live relatively simple lives in small family groups. But relationships in the primate world can be quite complex.

Being only metres from our living ancestors is the single most humbling experience a person could have. Visiting the Mountain Gorillas in the Republic de Congo is something that rivals few experiences on our planet. And the journey itself can often be riddled with adventure and mishaps. On this occasion the excitement started upon crossing the border from Uganda into the Congo. After 3 days on a rough dirt road crossing a good stretch of the Uganda countryside, we were ready to hit the ground running.

The operator in charge of the gorilla treks had laid down some specific rules the night before about how we should behave when we are with the gorillas. Each of us would be separated into small groups, so at no time would we appear larger than the family of gorillas we were about to meet.

The guidelines were aimed at protecting the gorillas from excess. Each group was only allowed to spend 1 hour per day with a family of gorillas. And permits were in excess of $300 US for that hour and very scarce to come by, so it was clear this activity was a rare experience and we were all eager to take in as much as we could within the finite time allotted.

After a bumpy ride along a narrow unsealed road into the mountains we stopped at the top of the hill where the forest met the encroaching farmland. It was disconcerting to see how the forest seemed to be encompassed by the farmland. Not far from where we had parked the 4WD we were on the move and trekking our way across a rural landscape with a hint of forest in the distance. As we drew closer the thick shrubbery lining the gateway to the gorillas was prevalent. Luckily we had several guides with machete’s hacking their way through the forest. Surprisingly the walk seemed quite pleasant with no real steep climbing involved.

Before we knew it the guides had slowed and motioned towards us that we should move carefully and talk at a whisper. The guide whispered, “They are there” pointing just beyond a branch he was about to hack. Within seconds we had our first close encounter with a family lazing about in an open clearing, most probably made by the gorillas themselves. We were never expecting to be that close. We could have reached out and touched one of the baby Gorillas. We all positioned ourselves in the thick foliage beneath our feet. Cameras were poised ready to take that first shot that would be one of a number of memories we would take away.

Once settled we watched as the juveniles wrestled vigorously in the clearing, a show of teeth and a quick swipe at each other showed a glimpse into the behaviour of these active juveniles. Yet they maintained a quiet demeanour and were never boisterous in voice. It was like watching a silent movie where the characters expressions told the story.

But you would be mistaken to think that these creatures would be open to more intimate contact. The females are quite protective of their offspring and will leave them to their own devices but are ever conscious and aware of where they are at all times. One curious youngster decided that he was going to venture close to one of the girls in our group and was soon met with a 300kg female barrelling towards her vicinity. The guide quickly muttered a grunting noise to express or even communicate that we were no threat and everything was calm again. And the youngster was soon reprimanded for his action.

The guides were also as insistent as the gorillas that physical contact was not encouraged or accepted and often had a long reed in their hand that they would slap toward the juveniles if they got to close. It was a harsh reminder of how fragile their environment was and that we should resist spreading our germs or impacting on these already endangered species anymore than we were. Obviously no one had told the curious juvenile gorillas about this. Often they would sneak up from behind a bush where we were sitting and reach out to grab a camera, bag or anything that wasn’t nailed down. But they were soon disciplined by the guides.

The more I sat the more I appreciated the privilege that had been bestowed. These creatures were allowing us to sit and spend time with their family and were not expecting anything in return. It was remarkable how much we could learn from one hour with these magnificent entities. Then without warning the guides were telling us it was time to leave. They were very precise in there timings with the gorillas and it was admirable to see their affinity with the gorillas and their respect for the guidelines that governed this industry.

Later we would learn that they were not paid and they relied solely on the tips of the tourists to support themselves. The majority of the guides appeared to be ex-military that were part of the governments initiative to protect the gorillas as well as their investment in a lucrative tourism resource. And the operators relied on these guides who would spend a substantial amount of time in the forest each night tracking the gorillas. They would rotate between the guides each day.

As we exited the forest on a high after a successful encounter, we stopped for lunch and started reminiscing about our experience with nature in its raw form. As we sat in a clearing eating our lunch we noticed that the guides had gone all day without food or water. But I think we took it for granted that it wasn’t by choice that they were going without.

On the way back to the border we stopped by the market place which was astir with excitement. The children followed some members of the group around the market place it was like they had an entourage or fans pursuing them. The colours in the Congo were amazingly vibrant and unique in design. These people had experienced a turbulent history but managed to make the most of what they had and really displayed a unique culture.

It was time to go and reluctantly we headed for the border to meet the rest of the group before we returned to Uganda. Everyone had different stories to tell, each as impressive as the next. The bonus was sharing the experience with friends and although it felt like it was over in an instance it will still be a lifelong memory that I could relive every time I looked at a photograph of these gorillas.