In the footsteps of gorillas
Feb 16, 2014 07:04 PM , By VIMALA MENON

Gorilla tracking : The safaris are strenuous but provide an experience
like none other
Rwanda's Volcanoes National Park is rich with a growing population of
gorillas. Gorilla safaris bring you up close and personal with them
Gorilla tracking is often listed as 'one of 50 things to do before you
die'. Vague memories of a film seen many years ago on Diane Fossey,
the American primatologist who had spent nearly 20 years with gorillas
in the Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda, came to mind. The thought of
tracking them in their natural habitat was at once tantalising and
fearful.
Through Earth Safari in Delhi, we headed out to Ruhengeri at Volcanoes
National Park on a cool July evening. The Park forms part of the
Virunga mountains, a chain of active and inactive volcanoes which span
Rwanda, Uganda and the DRC. Together with the Bwindi Impenetrable
Forest in Uganda, it is the only habitat on earth for the two
populations of critically endangered mountain gorillas that survive
today. Thanks to the unique and intensive efforts initiated by the
Rwandan Tourist Board combining tourism and conservation, the
population of mountain gorilla has been growing at a slow but steady
rate since the 1970s. As of 2013, the estimated total number is
approximately 880 individuals.
The following morning, we were up at the crack of dawn and on our way
to the Park headquarters at Kinigi for a briefing. There are 10
habituated gorilla groups for tourists in Rwanda. A gorilla permit
costs $750 per head and has to be purchased in advance.
The steep amount is justified by the fact that the funds are used for
the preservation of mountain gorillas, and their habitat and to
support communities living around the Park. Children under 15 years
are not allowed on the trek.
We were then divided into groups of eight based on individual fitness
levels. No more than 10 groups are permitted every day. We were
assigned the Ntambara group consisting of 12 gorillas including three
silverbacks. The rules are simple: stay quiet, keep a distance of
seven metres from the gorillas (to minimise possible transmission of
human disease), back off if one approaches.
The briefing over, we set off to a nearby village from where the trek
would begin. At the village, porters were hired for $10 each to assist
with the climbing and backpacks. Many of the porters say they were
erstwhile poachers who have since been rehabilitated.
We walk through farmland and beautiful fields of pyrethrum till we
reached the stone boundary wall of the park. Joined by armed guards,
we climb the wall and trek along the Virunga volcano's slopes, at an
elevation of 2,600 m.
Gorilla trekking is tough. It presupposes good fitness levels.
Recommended clothing is thick pants, full-sleeved shirts, gardening
gloves, gaiters or long socks, ankle length trekking boots & rain
gear. A trek can take anywhere between three-eight hours depending on
the group one is with. Since gorillas move around a lot everyday,
trackers leave early morning to track their location the previous day.
Initially our track had sandbag steps. After 40 minutes of steady
uphill climbing, there was no track at all. Our trackers were now
hacking through dense vines and undergrowth forging a path .Stinging
nettles were everywhere. The garden gloves now made sense. Just then,
we heard the trackers calling. At last! The gorillas had been sighted.
The guide led us to a hollow and there he was, our first gorilla, a
magnificent silverback resting on his side with an arm tucked under
his head. The gorilla looked up rather indifferently. One after
another, wetrooped up to catch a glimpse of him. The other gorillas
were scattered everywhere — mothers, babies, juveniles —frolicking,
eating or just relaxing.
A young gorilla on a tree seemed rather embarrassed by all the
attention. He slid down the branch hurriedly jumped to the ground and
took off. Two young gorillas clutched each other and rocked back and
forth as the dominant male looked on indulgently.
Every now and then the trackers made vocalisations to reassure the
gorillas. Meanwhile, the silverback in the hollow decided enough was
enough. He rose and went up an incline followed by some in our group.
It made straight for my son, who promptly sat down with his head bent
submissively. The silverback approached, brushed against him, moved
away only to return, go around him and gently run its arm across his
back. That was a close encounter!
The silverback then continued down the slope and there swatted the
Texan in our group.
As we were leaving, we witnessed a heartbreaking sight . A first-time
mother, Kurinda, was cradling her dead infant, who had died two days
earlier, killed by the third silverback of the group. The mother
refused to let go of the baby. But we could not linger. Our 60 minutes
with the gorillas were up. With a heavy heart we left.
Even so, gorilla tracking had lived up to its billing. Had it not been
for Dian Fossey's pioneering conservation efforts long ago to save
these gentle creatures from extinction, this trek might never have
happened.
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