What can make a silverback Gorilla charge during gorilla trekking?
- Making eye contact with the gorillas is interpreted as a challenge
- Use of flash camera is taken as a threat
- Disruptions like loud noise posses danger
- Bright colors for gorilla trekking
- Surrounding the gorilla family / Obstructing the gorilla family
- Visiting the gorillas for too long
- Any sudden reactions
- Getting very close to the gorillas
- Torching the gorilla
- Breast feeding mothers
- Plain bad mood and isolation from family
- Meeting wild Gorilla Group
Mountain Gorillas undergo a process called gorilla habituation which gradually trains the gorillas and prepares them to get used to seeing human being within their natural habitat. At the time the gorilla family is set out for formal gorilla trekking adventures, its fully habituated and used to seeing groups of tourists come and leave the jungle each day without any disturbance. All year round, East Africa receives thousands of tourists traveling across the globe to take part in gorilla trekking in Uganda at Bwindi national park, Mgahinga forest, Rwanda in Volcanoes national park and Virunga national park in Democratic Republic of Congo.
Gorilla trekking is one of the most rewarding wildlife experiences taking tourists just a few meters from the gorillas in the forests offering a special connection with one of our closest cousins. Gorilla trekking financially contributes to the protection of the last surviving population of mountain gorillas in the world
Gorilla tourism is a very delicate process which only survives because certain rules and requirements have been put in place to protect the mountain gorillas and the tourists to come to see the critically endangered mountain gorillas in Africa.
Since the introduction of gorilla tourism by Diane Fossey in 1979, the conservation program has registered a huge success with the gorilla population recorded to be at 1040 gorillas and still growing with new births from the most recent mountain gorilla census in the virunga massif
What can make a gorilla fight?
Mountain Gorillas are wild animals and even after the habituation process still remains wild; that any kind unusual action or disturbance is interpreted at a threat to the gorillas and the gorilla in turn will be prompted to react in a certain unusual way for defense – This kind of defensive reaction is what we call charging.
It’s normally a silverback mountain gorillas that is seen charging because it’s the Alpha male of the group, who heads and overlooks the well being of the entire gorilla family. When a silverback gorilla charges, its because he has felt a since of insecurity and reacts to defend his family from any kind of danger. It’s not common that a gorilla charges during a gorilla trek because at all time tourists and park guides follow the rules and guidelines to the dot but sometimes it happens.
Its necessary to study the behavior of the gorillas as you observe for 1 hour, normally it will signal discomfort before it charges like vocalization or even beating the chest
Making eye contact with the mountain gorillas
Mountain gorillas are territorial animals just like human being where the head of a family must be respected and honored. The silverback gorilla is the king of the territory and trying to hold eye contact with him is a complete sign of disrespect and a challenge.
I know it feels like such a beautiful experience to look directly into those beautiful eyes of the gorillas because they look so sad and just like human-like. Many questions go through your mind as you study them deep in the jungle and you wonder if they feel lonely or if you can actually find a connection with them! It’s such a special experience with the gorillas.
Despite how tempted you are to catch the eyes of the gorillas, its not advisable to do so unless you are ready for a jungle fight!
The silverback protects it’s position to death, actually its recorded that many silver back die defending their position as head of the gorilla family.
Tourists must be submissive when with the gorillas, don’t try to catch eye contact and when it accidentally happens, look away immediately because in the jungle, the silverback is the King and you are making one of your greatest memories. Always listen to the advice of your park guide incase the silver back charges.
Use of flash cameras
A flash camera posses a great threat to the life of mountain gorillas because its something that’s very unusual in the gorilla habitat. Gorillas tourism seeks to bring tourists to see the rare mountain gorillas for lifetime experience but must bring the least changes to the wildlife habitat. A flash scares the gorillas and a posses a reason to fight and defend the family and their habitat.
Its very necessary for tourists to use cameras without flash so as to keep harmony with the mountain gorillas in the jungle. When planning to travel for gorilla trekking in Africa, always ask your tour operator to send you comprehensive packing list so you plan right for your tour to avoid going wrong.
Noise
Gorillas live in the jungle and are used to wild noise that any strange kind of noise is a sign of danger! Tourists are advised to keep silent when with the gorillas, avoid abrupt noises. If you need to communicate, use a sign or speak very low. Normally park rangers communicate with the gorillas through vocalization which helps to communicate with the gorillas.
If you select the gorilla habituation experience, you may try vocalization since these mountain gorillas are in the learning process of habituation and you are able to train with the park management.
What can make a gorilla angry?
Bright / shouting colors
Gorillas are used to the green nature of the wild forest jungle they live in that any sight of bright color is unfamiliar and alerts the gorillas of an intruder into their natural habitat. Tourists are advised to dress in dull colors that blend with the natural forest to have a successful gorilla tour in Uganda, Rwanda and Congo.
Surrounding the gorilla family / Obstructing the gorilla family
Each day trained park guides lead groups of 8 tourists through the jungle to find a single habituated gorilla family. Only 8 people are allowed to visit a single gorilla family that if the numbers exceeds becomes a crowd which exhausts the gorilla family. Crowding and surrounding your gorilla family when trekking can pose a threat to the group. When the group of 8 people meets the gorilla family, you are advised to keep a distance of 7 meters and remain in one group on the side so that you don’t block the gorillas’ path and they don’t feel imprisoned.
Visiting the gorillas to too long
Only 1 hour has been set for tourists to spend with the gorilla family and note more each day. Longer hours with the gorillas can exhaust and destruct the gorilla family hence a cause of fighting.
The gorilla habituation experience on the other hand allows tourists to spend for hours with the gorillas because these gorillas are fully habituated and the tourists have the chance to take part in the gorilla training process.
Please note that from the time you enter the forest for trekking to the gorillas can last from 30 minutes for near gorilla family to 8 hours of trekking searching for your gorilla family. Once you meet your gorilla family, its only 1 hour you spend with the gorillas.
What can make a Gorilla Beat it’s chest?
Any sudden reactions when with Gorillas
Any sudden action and reactions when in the presence of the gorillas can pose a threat and make a silver back gorilla charge as a way of protecting his gorilla family. For example sudden movement and doing any thing that’s unpredictable. All tourists are advised to be very submissive and avoid sudden movements. Even when a gorillas gets very close to you, don’t run or move, be still and wait for it to bypass you.
Getting too close to the gorillas
Gorillas are wild animals living in the jungle and even if they are habituated an used to seeing human being come and go out of their habitant, getting to close scares the gorillas and can in turn charge at tourists. Keeping a distance of 7 meters away from the gorillas according to researchers is a comfortable distance for the gorillas to feel unalarmed.
Touching the gorillas
Its very tempting to touch the gorillas most especially when it brushes very close passed you. Gorillas normally look very close up-close and you feel so emotional that you want to touch and console it. Looking just like man, there is that inner instinct to reach out and protect, but the gorilla is still very wild and will charge if you try to touch it.
Breast feeding mothers
Breast feeding gorilla mothers have a very high security awareness and a strong instinct to protect their young ones and any kind of alarm with make her charge.
Plain bad mood
Gorillas share 98% of human DNA and hence a lot of human characteristic. Just like man, you can be irritated by the smallest thing. Sometimes the gorilla is being isolated by fellow family members or misunderstanding within the group. This can make a gorilla charge at tourists.
In conclusion, mountain gorillas are some of the gentlest wildlife receiving groups of tourists to visit habituated gorilla groups in their natural habitat. It’s not common that a gorilla charges at tourists because being habituated makes them used to seeing tourists come and go out of the jungle. On rare situations gorillas get agitated and threatened by unusual behavior which poses a reason for defense.
Today the number of mountain gorillas is rising thanks to revenue collected from gorilla trekking which goes back into gorilla conservation efforts and activities that without gorilla tourism the gorilla population would still be going down today.
