Читать книгу African Safari Adventures - Thomas Walsh - Страница 3

Guhonda woke lazily from a mid-morning nap. He slowly sat up in a position like a Buddha. Being the leader and protector of the Sabyinyo Group of mountain gorillas he instinctively moved his massive head from side-to-side looking around the camp to make sure all the members of his group were present and safe. The other gorillas were still sleeping or just starting to rouse. The group had spent the first part of the morning, when the mist was still thick on the volcano, munching on the tender shoots of the bamboo growing beside their camp. It was never ending work finding and eating 40 to 60 pounds of vegetation a day so the gorillas were happy to nap whenever Guhonda decided he wanted to rest.

The Sabyinyo Group, named after the volcano that was their home, had 12 members. Guhonda, the patriarch is the largest of the silverback mountain gorillas in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park. He weighs almost 500 lbs. and stands six feet tall as a biped. He is a gentle giant with a broad swath of grey fur down his back. But if the group is threatened he can become a ferocious ape ready to fight to the death to protect his family. The other members of the Sabyinyo Group included a second, younger silverback, adult females, male blackbacks and some children.

Satisfied that all was well, Guhonda ambled over to the bamboo stand on all fours and resumed eating the juicy bamboo shoots. The other adults joined him. They ate and watched the children playing. Guhonda made some deep rumbling belches, a sign of contentment.

The group continued to feed until Guhonda sensed danger was near. He became agitated and began to hoot. The group heeded his warning. They stopped eating and looked to him. The only predators that mountain gorillas have are humans and leopards. Guhonda knew that humans were coming.

Just down the mountain from the Sabyinyo Group, four armed trackers shadowed the group to locate them for the tourists that paid for permits to visit the gorillas. The trackers were not the humans that caused Guhonda’s agitation. He was used to them and knew their sounds. It was the group of nine people that just joined the trackers that worried Guhonda. They made a lot of noise climbing up the mountain through the dense stands of bamboo and heavy brush. Humans came to visit the Sabyinyo Group almost every day, but each encounter was stressful to Guhonda until he was satisfied that they were not a threat to his family.

***

The nine people who joined the trackers included a park guide and eight tourists. The eight tourists were me, my wife Lee, our friends Steve and Nancy, and two young couples from South Africa. We had paid a large fee many months in advance for the chance to be with the gorillas. The trek through dense forest and bamboo, up steep mountainsides at an altitude of 5,000 feet or more can take from 30 minutes to six hours. The reward at the end is to be among the few people in the world, who have the experience of a lifetime spending an hour with one of the ten family groups of mountain gorillas which Volcanoes National Park reserves for tourist visits. The groups vary in size up to 30 gorillas per family. There are other larger groups that are for scientific study only. In total there are about 500 gorillas in the park. Sadly the numbers have fallen greatly over the years due to war, vanishing habitat and poaching. We thought it was well worth the price and effort to see these amazing creatures who may become extinct in the wild in our lifetime.

The Volcanoes National Park is part of the Virunga Mountains which straddle Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Gorillas also live in the mountains in Uganda and the D.R.C., and sometimes travel back and forth between countries. The mobility of the gorilla families adds to their vulnerability. When they leave the protection of the park and enter the Congo they are much more susceptible to poaching and the civil war that has been raging off and on for years.

The National Park is home to five of the eight volcanoes in the Virunga Mountains. When you see the mist enshrouded mountains it is easy to understand why Rwanda means, “The land of a thousand hills.” The town closest to the park is Ruhengeri which is about two hours by car from Kigali, the capitol of Rwanda. Most tourists stay at various hotels and eco-resorts within driving distance of the park. We stayed at the Virunga Lodge, a wonderful location on a mountain top with commanding views of the volcanoes and nearby lakes.

The trek to see the gorillas began at 8:30 am at the park headquarters. There was an air of excitement as 80 tourists arrived for assignment to various gorilla family groups and guides. Our driver Charles from Volcanoes Safari, a tour guide company, knew we wanted an easier trek. It was the first of two days we would spend trekking the mountain gorillas. We were a little apprehensive about the physical demands. Charles arranged for us to be assigned to the Sabyinyo (meaning “old man’s teeth”) Group, which was one of the easiest to reach in the park. The gorilla group often camped only 45 minutes from the edge of the forest. The gorilla family’s patriarch is Guhonda, the largest of all the silverbacks in the park.

We were assigned a park guide named Paul who was very familiar with the Sabyinyo Group. Paul was a member of the Tutsi tribe, one of the two main tribes in Rwanda along with the Hutus. He was small in stature and build with delicate facial features. The Belgium colonist who ruled Rwanda prior to independence favored the Tutsis over the Hutu because of their Caucasian like facial features. The Hutu’s resented the Tutsis for their favored status. The resentment led to hatred and ultimately an unspeakable genocide killing over a half million Tutsis. Paul survived the killing because his parents saw the situation boiling over and sent him to live with relatives in the Congo.

Paul worked hard to make our experience exciting yet comfortable. He reminded everyone that they could hire porters to carry their backpacks and help them as they climbed up the mountainside to the gorilla family. Because of the proximity of the Sabyinyo Group to the edge of the forest no one in our group opted to hire a porter. The trek started near a village at the base of the volcano. It was a comfortable day. The area never really gets hot because of the altitude, but everything is damp because of the mist and frequent rainfalls even in the dry season. The first half of the hike was a gradual ascent up a grassy hillside interspersed with light brush and trees. As the group walked Paul provided a running commentary in perfect, albeit slightly accented English on the flora, fauna and the gorillas in particular.

Paul said the gorillas loved to eat bamboo shoots as they are sweet and moist. The natural sugar in the shoots ferments in the cane and gives the gorillas a mild alcohol high lending to their already mellow disposition. Trackers dedicated to the Sabyinyo Group had left earlier in the morning and already located the gorilla family. Paul had a walkie talkie radio which he used to stay in touch with the trackers. He told the group that the trackers carried high powered rifles for protection against poachers and Cape buffalo. The Cape buffalo, which can weigh up to 2,000 pounds, is very aggressive and highly dangerous to humans. Paul said the Cape buffalo is considered the most dangerous animal in the wild, because they are so aggressive, more so than lions or elephants.

We slowly climbed higher into the forest. As we ascended the foliage became dense and was covered in moisture. Leaves slid under our feet on the slippery mountainside, which had become like a tropical rain forest. Paul had to use a machete to open the trail. We brought along leather gloves to wear on the trek because they were on the recommended equipment list. We were glad we did. Some of the plants you have to grab climbing the mountainside have nettles that can become imbedded in your skin and give burning sensations for hours. The plants with nettles were fearsome and plentiful along the trail.

The mountain side became steeper and more slippery due to the ever present moisture. Finally we squeezed through a large stand of bamboo to break into an open meadow where the trackers were waiting. After greeting the trackers and introducing them to us Paul issued final instructions before the group met the gorilla family. Paul told us that we were to sit or squat in a group about 20 feet from the gorillas, and avoid staring them in the eye. Loud noises or sudden movements could upset them so talking needed to be limited and done in whispers. If a gorilla charged the group it was important to not run or act afraid. The gorilla would stop short of the group and then back off. We all looked around at each other. Everyone was thinking yeah sure, he must be kidding. Only cameras could be carried to minimize the noise and distraction, everything else had to be left with the trackers.

Paul led the way into the forest making low moaning sounds, “mmaagghh” a message to the gorillas that we had come as friends. He stopped and waited until he heard a low rumbling response from Guhonda, “mmaagghh” before proceeding. As we got closer to the gorilla family we could smell them before we saw them. There were small piles of pungent, green gorilla dung in the area. Paul spoke quietly to us as he continued to make the soothing low moaning sounds, “mmaagghh” and Guhonda rumbled in response. He pointed out the various members of the family as we carefully entered the area where they were camped. The silverback Guhonda was stupendous. He sat a little ways off from the other gorillas, but kept a wary eye on us as we entered his realm. Paul had us sit in a semi-circle a little below the family where we could comfortably see all the gorillas without making them feel threatened.

***

Guhonda watched the humans as they made their way into his camp. The small chocolate colored man had visited them many times before. Guhonda liked the low moaning sound he made. He was a friend. The white people were nervous and they made him nervous. They fidgeted with cameras and shot glances at him constantly, a few stared at him much more than he liked. Guhonda caught a whiff of the scent of the tourists and wrinkled his nose in displeasure. He uttered a few low hoots to remind the family and the tourists of his supremacy. The chocolate colored man moved among the whites talking softly about the gorilla family.

After a few minutes some of the gorilla family moved about within the camp. They were comfortable with the presence of the humans for the time being. The children began to play with each other and the adults went about their business of eating and preening themselves and others. Except for the physical difference, Guhonda’s family seemed much like a human family. The gorillas are normally docile and interact with each other with love and affection. But, like humans they also squabbled on occasion.

On the far side of the tourists a commotion developed between two gorillas, an adult male and female. In the process the gorillas moved very close to the tourists. Paul carefully walked over and shepherded the tourists who were too near the gorillas to a safer distance. I was one of those who needed to move. I stood quietly and walked slowly across a small clearing to the other side of the group. As I walked I saw out of the corner of my eye, a large female gorilla walking toward me from the side. She could have easily avoided me but for some reason decided to brush my leg with her shoulder as she walked by on all fours. She was fully grown and weighed about 150 pounds. Her powerful muscles rippled under her shiny black fur as she bumped me and continued walking past. She glanced back at me over her shoulder. For a fleeting moment I felt I knew the message the bump conveyed. It was a reminder that we were visitors in their home.

Guhonda continued to watch his family members and the tourists carefully while occasionally munching on bamboo shoots. He noticed that the other younger silverback named Gsihamwotsi was showing off for the family and the tourists. He became irritated and began to hoot. When no one seemed to notice him his hoots picked up steam. Guhonda suddenly rose from his sitting position. His massive bulk, like a giant boulder, came charging toward Gsihamwotsi. The gorilla family scattered out of his way. Guhonda came up just short of the younger silverback, who quickly assumed a submissive position. Guhonda snorted and violently threw vegetation about. The tourists watched in shocked amazement at Guhonda’s speed and power. He had erupted like a volcano but once he was satisfied that his supremacy was reasserted in the eyes of the family he calmed, walked back to his nest, sat down and resumed eating bamboo shoots.

***

Guhonda’s charge was the highlight of our first day’s visit to the gorillas. It was an amazing experience that far exceeded anything we had expected. We felt privileged to have had the opportunity to be so close to these wild but human-like creatures. When our time was up we quietly withdrew into the forest and hiked back to the pick-up point. The excitement and wonder of being so near the gorillas felt like a surreal experience. It was so unique and emotionally stimulating that once it was over you questioned if it had really just been a dream.

It was a short drive back to the park headquarters. Our driver Charles was waiting for us. He drove us back to the Virunga Lodge. We sat at the open air bar on the mountain top with a panoramic view of the Virunga volcanoes on one side and Lakes Burera and Ruhondo on the other. We relived the day’s events over and over as we had cocktails and dinner. All four of us were filled with amazement at the experience. I thought how lucky we were to have decided to make this trip. It was pure serendipity that we did. Night fell and the mist enveloped the volcanoes in its arms.

Silverback mountain gorilla