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Gorilla Tracking |
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• Overview
• Joining a tracking
group
• How much does
a gorilla permit cost?
• What
are the rules?
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Human
beings share 97% of the same DNA as a gorilla. The mountain gorilla
is the rarest of all the apes, and were first ‘discovered’
in 1902, when a German officer named Oscar von Beringe shot two of
them dead. His name, ironically, was attached to the subspecies -
gorilla gorilla beringei. There are now only 600 left in the world. The mountainous region that straddles Uganda, Rwanda and the D.R.C
in East Africa is the only fragile environment in which they are able
to survive. They have never been reared successfully in captivity
and there are none in zoos. There’s only one mountain gorilla
for every ten million people on earth.
Only a few have been habituated for humans to visit, and these rare
apes are sometimes not easy to find. This is what makes gorilla tracking
such an exciting and privileged adventure. You can go gorilla tracking
at two of Uganda’s national parks, both in the southwest of
the country. Mgahinga on the slopes of the Virunga Volcanoes that
border Rwanda and the D.R.C, near the town of Kisoro, and at Bwindi,
a nearby tract of impenetrable forest not far from the town of Kabale.
Looking into the soft brown eyes of a gorilla in its natural habitat
is without doubt one of Africa’s greatest wildlife encounters.
There are three families of habituated gorillas at Bwindi known as
the 'M', 'HA' and 'HB' groups (rather clinically sounding like strains
of hepatitis!). At Mgahinga there is only one group, known as the Nyakagezi
group, that during the summer months (July to September) tend to pop
over the border to the D.R.C. Gorilla tracking
is suspended while they are away on their international holiday. The
groups can be visited for one hour per day by six people (four for
Bwindi’s ‘HB’ group). Gorilla permits must be purchased
well in advance and cost a whopping US$250. It's a very expensive hour’s
wildlife viewing, but more than worth it. The number of people is
limited because gorillas are very prone to catching human illnesses
– a gorilla can die from a common cold. Anyone who is sick
will not be permitted to track.
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| Joining
a tracking group |
Once you join a tracking
group, the chances of sighting the gorillas are excellent, although
it may take up to several hours to find them in the rainforest. Be
prepared to hike through some rugged country – steep hills,
thorny trees, tangled vines, and damp slippery floors laden with matted
vegetation and mud, giving you every opportunity to fall over.
Your gorilla tracking experience starts at 8:30 in the morning and
occasionally lasts the whole day. It can be exhausting, but sometimes
it may not be as difficult as that. Gorillas have been located
only 10 minutes away from the campsite before. All tracks are accompanied
by an expert guide and two trackers who follow the scents and movement
of the gorillas from the previous day. They make your path a little
more bearable by hacking through the undergrowth with machetes. In
the unlikely event that there are no visitors on a particular day,
these dedicated park employees still visit the gorilla groups to maintain
habituation and check that they are okay.
Gorillas live in groups led by a male silverback – named for
the silver band of fur around his torso that occurs naturally when
a male becomes dominant. Gorillas are vegetarians and spend their
days foraging for fruits, shoots, stems and flowers, all containing
lots of water, so they don’t need to drink very often. They
communicate using a wide range of facial expressions, gestures and
noises – just as humans do. At night, the silverback chooses a
sleeping spot and each gorilla gathers vegetation to prepare their
nest for the night.
The gorillas seem not to like open areas - they would rather go around
a meadow than cross it. This means that when the trackers do find
them, watching the gorillas is likely to be done through dense and dark
vegetation. Don’t expect great photos, and since using a flash
is not permitted, ensure you have fast film.
The trackers use the previous night’s nest as a starting point
for searching, and follow the flattened foliage and piles of dung
that indicate in which direction the gorillas headed that morning.
Finding them is hugely exciting, and your tracker will immediately
motion for the group to stay quiet and drop to the floor. In those
first few moments of hushed suspense, discovering that you are sitting
only five metres from a gorilla in the undergrowth is a spine tingling
experience. The first glimpse of a gorilla might be a baby up a tree,
a female quietly munching on a branch, even a silverback pounding
his chest. Soon, more of the members of the group will come into sight
as they – equally inquisitive of the human group – move
closer and stare back. Sometimes the gorillas charge – when
this happens you must crouch down slowly, do not look the gorillas
directly in the eye, and wait for the animals to pass. Do not take
photos or attempt to run away, as this will increase the risk of attack.
It’s also happened before on gorilla tracks that a silverback
has had impromptu sex with one of the females. One group had
the rare privilege of watching a female giving birth. They’re
also quite cheeky – there’s nothing more startling than
a gorilla’s fart and you may have to dodge a stream of urine
coming from a tree above. Sometimes the gorillas try to get closer. The trackers try to keep a five metre distance because of
the dangers of contracting disease – but this cannot always
be maintained when a playful young gorilla has his eye on someone’s
cap and takes a lunge forward. Remember that old TV wildlife documentary
scene when David Attenborough is side- swiped by a gorilla? Well that
is what it’s really like. All too soon the hour is up and the
guide will lead you reluctantly away for the long but exhilarated
trek back. It’s an awesome and privileged thrill to meet these
amazing creatures in the wild. |
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| Why
does a gorilla permit cost so much? |
Gorilla permits cost between
US$175-250 depending where you see them. The Ugandan wildlife authorities
have proposed that the price could soon go up to US$500, and there is no shortage
of people willing to pay. For this, you get one hour watching a family
of gorillas – possibly one of the most expensive wildlife-watching
experiences on the planet. For years these gorillas have been ruthlessly
hunted for their hands and heads and sold as souvenirs. Many have
been killed whilst trying to stop poachers stealing babies to sell
to zoos, where they ultimately die.
The ever-growing number of tourists
paying to go on a gorilla track is an important factor for their survival.
The gorilla permit fee finances patrols that are instrumental in protecting
the gorillas’ home from poachers and their lethal snares. A
percentage of the fee is donated to local communities living adjacent
to the parks to contribute to the development of natural resource
management. The region where these parks is located is one of the
poorest and most densely populated in Uganda, with roughly 225 people
living in every square kilometre. On any gorilla track, you will
see how people and gorillas have to compete for so little space and
resources. It’s been the case that a person desperate to feed
his family will enter the forest and poach for food. By the same token,
it’s happened that a gorilla will leave the forest to raid a
farmer’s maize field, destroying that farmer’s livelihood
in the process. Conflict between people and wildlife in Africa takes
many forms. A gorilla permit may be expensive but there’s good
reason for it. |
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| What
are the rules? |
For conservation reasons,
gorilla tracking is tightly controlled. The following rules and advice
are sensible.
• Wash your hands before and after
a gorilla track. Anyone with a contagious disease – even flu
or diarrhoea – is not allowed to visit the gorillas. If you
feel the urge to cough or sneeze when you are near the gorillas, turn
your head away and cover your nose and mouth.
• The
group must listen to the guide and trackers at all times; stay very
close together and do not surround the gorillas.
• Don’t
get closer than five metres. This is not always possible but try. The
further back you are, the more relaxed the gorillas will be. Don’t
make any loud noises or sudden movements. Your safety with the gorillas
depends on them thinking they are the dominant party. Do not touch
the gorillas, they are wild animals. They might look cuddly but…!
• No flash photography. If you have a camera with
an automatic flash, cover it with Elastoplast or duct tape.
• If you have to go to the loo on a gorilla track, ensure everything
is buried well below ground. The guide will dig you a hole
with his machete. Don’t drink, eat or smoke within 200 metres
of the gorillas.
• Do not dispute the time spent with
the gorillas. Sixty minutes is what you get from the first sighting,
and that’s it. Over exposure to human contact is harmful. If
the gorillas become agitated or nervous, the guide will finish the
visit early, and remember, no one forces them to stay there for the
allotted hour. They can fade into the forest whenever they want to. |
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