Habituation-why gorillas tolerate human beings.
Gorilla habituation means getting them used to humans either for tourism or research purposes. The process is very challenging for it can take even up to 2 years. A group of wild gorillas is assigned to trackers who set out everyday in rain or shine to follow them.
When the rangers find the gorillas, they spend the day in the forest, make calm vocalizations, or even pretend to eat leaves showing them that they are not a threat. It takes some time for the gorillas to get out of hiding. For many months trekkers can only see the hands or faces of curious gorillas poking through the bush. It’s only when the silver back feels comfortable about their presence that he will lead the rest of the group to come out and feed in the open but still at a distance.
It is when they can be approached without running off that the group can now be allowed to be viewed by tourists. The group is still monitored on a daily basis since the humans are now responsible for their protection. The process is long and the gorillas need to be shown love, dedication and care.
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Gorilla Tracking
Mountain gorillas are Ugandans big attraction, they are special rare and gentle. Gorilla tracking is a unique humbling and thrilling experience which leads you into a strange tropical forest to meet unusual creatures on their own terms, which can take all day. The guide leads you through the gorilla’s world explaining aspects of their ecology and behaviour all day long. Basic facts about Bwindi and Mgahinga are provided. Both parks have specific groups habituated.
The composition of any group changes as individuals are born, die or transfer so the guide will give you an up-to-date details. These are wild creatures with no fixed routine and finding them requires the skill and experience of your trackers and guides as well as luck. The guides and trackers know gorillas intimately; will take you to the area where they left them the day before. The guides ensure that you are safe while tracking.
However when you find the gorillas, there is no guarantee that you will take photos immediately. You only need to be patient for them to come out of the thick vegetation.
What to bring on a gorilla safari
Gorilla tracking takes time, so go prepared. Wear non-skid resistant shoes suitable for steepy muddy slopes; carry rain gear, sunscreen, hat, water, packed lunch and binoculars.
NB: When gorilla tracking safari keep your voice low, do not point or wave arms because it may be seen as a threat, move slowly, do not use a flash as it could easily frighten the gorillas and bother other visitors.
GORILLA RULES ONE MUST OBEY.
- When in the park never walk alone-always take a guide.
- Incase of emergency-dig a hole and bury it to protect our health.
- Do not drop litter-take it home.
- Do not pick remove any plants or wildlife.
- When you are with gorillas keep your distance minimum of 5m
- No smoking
- And if you must sneeze or cough cover your face and turn away from gorillas
WHAT ARE GORILLAS?
Gorillas are the largest of the great apes, genetically very closely related to humans. Apes differ from monkeys in being larger and most of the body covered by hair, longer arms than legs with a wider chest, having bigger brains and no tails. The gorillas of Bwindi and Mgahinga are mountain gorillas the rarest of all the three subspecies of gorillas.
Gestation period of a female is 8.5months; females mature at 10-12years, 000male’s 11-13years and a life span of 30-50years.
Gorillas are shy, social peaceful vegetarians that have great senses of hearing, taste, smell and touch. They are herbivores mostly eating plant materials; use both their hands and feet to grasp things. Like humans they have a single stomach and rather long intestine. They eat different types of leaves in the forests like tubers, flowers, fruit, roots.stems, barks of certain trees, tender plant shoots, and seeds and sometimes on rare occasions supplement with some insects, snails, soil and even dead infants. They enjoy favorites like bamboo shoots, crunchy wild celery which contain a lot of water, gaint thistles, and vines, from the foliage they eat are able to get moisture.
Bwindi forest gorillas have more plant species than the virungas.
Gorilla’s daily habits include feeding time, moving and foraging and the rest of the day remains for resting. They rise up in the morning for feeding and normally the silverback determines, makes decisions leading to the feeding sites.
During the afternoon the group typically moves again before finding a place to spend the night.
Every evening gorillas build nests for a night except for the infants so as to have a comfortable sleep. Their groups move on average less than one kilometer per day and rarely more than two. Longer movements typically follow an aggressive interaction or other events that have stressed the group. They communicate amongst each other by use of complicated gestures and sounds like roars, chuckles,hooting,throwing objects,slapping,growls,sideways running and lip-tucking, chest beating and sharp grunting.
SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR AND ORGANISATION
Gorillas mostly live in family groups because of strong bonds between individuals. An average group contains about 12 animals with one or two older male silverback, younger blackback males, several females and their offspring. However gorillas follow no set pattern for group composition, smaller families are common. The lead silverback is the primary defender of the group and probably fathers most infants born.
Their social behaviour is notably calm and stable compared to other primates. Different groups of gorillas avoid meeting. Incase it happens, silverbacks being the dorminant adult male takes the challenge to intimidate its opponents by beating the chest,roaring,breaks branches, bare his teeth, waves his arms and stands upright to frighten off the others. When fighting occurs they use their long canine teeth to bite and slash, causing deep serious wounds.
In case the group leader is killed normally a younger male takes over and may kill all nursing infants in the group or sometimes they disperse trying to look for a new male that will give them better protection.
The younger gorillas learn from their mothers and other adults concerning the social behaviors, communication and how to look after the young.
OUR CHANGING PERCEPTION OF GORILLAS.
For along time African people have known that gorillas lived in the forests. The origin of the name gorilla is over 2000 years ago when an explorer from North African city encountered apes on the coast of West Africa. He described a wild battle when several of his men were wounded and scratched trying to capture live specimens. In the 20th century the scientific community discovered mountain gorillas though most gorillas described and collected were of the more common western lowland gorillas. Gorillas living in the mountains of central Africa were only confirmed when two animals were shot in the slopes of Mt.Sabinyo in 1902.
Hunters killed more gorillas for museum collections but at later time one hunter was awed by gorillas and encouraged people to preserve space for the protection of these gentle giants to avoid the decreasing numbers.
It was after that time that research, study and education about gorillas started which revealed the true nature of the gorilla as a shy, gentle, peaceful vegetarian.Dian Fossey helped a lot in making these gorillas famous worldly through films and popular articles. The research station she established in Rwanda still exists today where she was buried. Efforts have been made to extend knowledge about gorillas to the local people. Many programmes like International Gorilla Conservation Programme and other international programmes have come up to work with the protected area authorities of Uganda, Rwanda and Congo plus the surrounding communities around the gorilla parks to ensure their in harmony. This has helped in developing the communities and changing the local people’s attitude towards the values of forests and gorillas. Public awareness campaigns have helped in realization of conservation as the best strategy for survival. Though there is still more effort needed to sensetise the public and educates them about these rare creatures.
DISTRIBUTION
Before gorillas inhabited the entire rainforest that stretched from the coast of West Africa to the western arm of the Great Rift Valley. But due to climate changes they divided into western and eastern populations. There three subspecies namely western lowland gorilla(Gorilla gorilla gorilla) in the lowland rainforests of west Africa, Eastern lowland gorillas (gorilla gorilla graueri) inhabits the forests of eastern Congo and Mountain gorillas (gorilla gorilla beringei) found in the high altitudes of Bwindi forests in Uganda and Virunga Volcanoes in Rwanda. Because of the higher altitude forests, the mountain gorillas developed longer hair, broader jaws, wider chests that distinguish them from their lowland counterparts. The Virunga, Mgahinga and Bwindi gorillas are genetically the same subspecies.