A day out with awesome Mountain gorillas

By Jossy Muhangi (email the author)
Sunday Monitor April 25,2010


Posted Sunday, April 25 2010 at 00:00
It was a hit and miss affair whether I would actually see the gorillas but
thanks to two cheerful and confident trackers, I was able to have a memorable
Easter Monday with man’s closest relatives, writes Jossy Muhangi
It is Easter Monday morning. I have taken a sojourn to Bwindi Impenetrable
National Park in Southwestern Uganda, a leading destination for local and
international tourists thirsty for interacting with the rare mountain gorillas.
Iprepare myself mentally and physically for piercing through the tangled
vegetation and the slippery meandering trails along the steep-sided-rugged
ridges of the forest, in search of at least one family of the rare gentle
beasts.
John and Charles, the cheerful and confident trackers who monitor the movements
of the gorilla groups, assure me that they spotted some gorillas constructing
nests the previous evening and that they must have spent the night in the
vicinity of the national park office block at Buhoma. “But, gorillas being what
they are, they might wake up at sunrise and trek deeper into the forest in
search of their favourite food beyond the ridges and valleys,” remarked Charles,
pointing at adjacent ridges.
But as soon as we hit the jungle behind the park office premises, the two
trackers wielding mini machetes they use to create the trails through the
thicket, one of them spots the footmarks of an adult gorilla and quickly
observes that it must have wandered off from the rest of the group, if not a
solitary individual.
As we retreat a bit to consider another direction, there is a sudden grunt from
what the tracker says is the dominant male gorilla - the silverback, signalling
that the gentle beasts are within our reach. John, the tracker, grins with
excitement and confidence that the sound has come from Mwirima, the dark-faced
leader of the Rushegura group which comprises 19 members, among them five adult
females, several juveniles, infants and sub adults. The group is called
Rushegura because it separated from a bigger one called Habinyanja on
Valentine’s Day of 2002, at a place called Rushegura.
The tracker responds to the grunting vocalisation with some non-verbal
communication, which he tells me is an assurance to the gorillas that it is
their usual human friends and not enemies approaching. He also says the grunting
from the silverback is a polite warning to whoever is approaching their
territory, having heard the footsteps and human voices.
Without a moment’s delay, we head in the right direction for a misty spot under
the canopy of towering trees occupied by the gorillas, which are enjoying their
breakfast with such gusto. On seeing two infants engaged in what appears like a
wrestling game under the close watch of two adult males assuming the role of
umpires, I almost forget the caution of observing at least 15 feet away from the
feeding group until a Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) tracker warns that a
silverback is keenly watching and taking charge of “everyone’s” security.
On close identification of their nose prints and body sizes, the trackers tell
me the infants are the babies of Karungi and Kirinvi, while the
babysitters/umpires are Kalembeezi and Kanywani. Kanywani, (Rukiga for
friendly), is known for being playful and giving company to infant gorillas, but
is equally watchful and protects them against danger.
On the other hand, Kalembeezi, (Rukiga for caring), ensures the welfare and
comfort of the infants is not compromised. In fact, Kalembeezi mesmerises the
visitors by the magical way he carries the infants by strapping them sideways
onto his laps. Infants usually ride on their mothers’ backs or perch on their
abdomen as the female adults walk on their stocky legs and the knuckles of their
massive long fore limbs.
According to the trackers and guides here, Kalembeezi is the third in command
after Kabukojo, another healthy sub adult male that is soon graduating into a
blackback. The two assist the silverback, Mwirima, by providing side security
and acting as sentries. Indeed, on this Easter Monday, the two ensure all the
members have left one area to another during their feeding spree by trailing
their colleagues, led by the silverback.
Spoon feeding or respect?
Another captivating sight is of the mother gorillas climbing majestically and
confidently with their babies riding on their backs to feast on fruits and
parasitic plants. Occasionally, some of the infants fall down from high up the
trees but it is hard to establish if they get injured. However, a tracker tells
me some die in such accidents when they hit their heads against hard objects
like rocks.
On this day, the silverback is curious but also generous. In spite of his
massive weight, he climbs a nearby tree with ease and picks and munches on ripe
fruits while throwing others down for the infants and juveniles. The guides, who
passionately watch this behaviour, say the subordinate members of the group, out
of respect, cannot dare follow their boss up the tree and will follow suit after
he has had his fill.
However, the adult female, Karungi, a pretty mother of infant and juvenile
daughters and said to be Mwirima’s favourite mate, comfortably follows the
silverback up the tree, her baby on her back.
Since gorillas’ human friends respect their feeding, resting and movement
itinerary, I can’t spend a longer time with the gentle creatures than I had
wished. From the trackers, I learn that later in the day, the gorillas have a
health break during which the infants and juveniles play while others rest and
some groom one another by picking foreign articles from their thick fur.
I crown my Easter Monday by taking a more than 5.6km meandering trek to the
Munyaga Waterfalls, right, serenaded by the continuous throbbing rhythm of the
river and singing birds, particularly the African Emerald Cuckoo, whose role is
to welcome visitors to the forest.