Rwanda Visitors Get Up Close to Gorillas
V O L C A N O E S N A T I O N A L P A R K, Rwanda, Feb. 4, 2004 -- — Through mossy vines, I was watching large black fuzzy heads munch quietly on leafy lunches when I noticed that I, too, was being watched, closely, on Mount Karisimbi.
As a mountain gorilla emerged briskly from thick vegetation, Istarted planning my retreat. But before I could move, the great apestopped about 15 feet away, wrapped up into a surprisingly roundball and rolled heavily away down a slope of bushy foliage.
It was an exciting look at an individual in the largest group ofmountain gorillas that can be visited by tourists in Rwanda'sVolcanoes National Park. In an hour, our small group would get muchcloser to them.
With seven other hikers, a guide and two armed soldiers, wewalked carefully through the jungle terrain, as about 35 gorillasate and played in the sun.
Hiking in a single-file line, John Martello had thought he wasbringing up the rear — until he heard a rustling sound and lookedback. A gorilla about 3 feet tall decided to follow along, just afew feet behind.
Surrounded by Gorillas
"He was one of the bunch," Martello, a Hoboken, N.J., residentsaid, referring to the gorilla's short attachment to our group."It kept on following. It didn't seem very disturbed at all."
The Susa Group, as they are called, include two huge silverbacks— males named for the coloring on their backs that occurs when theyreach sexual maturity at about 13 years of age — as well as adultfemales and youngsters. Silverbacks can stand up to 6 feet tall andweigh more than 400 pounds. Compared to other gorillas, mountaingorillas have longer hair and larger jaws.
Watching Africa's so-called Big Five safari animals — lion,buffalo, leopard, elephant and rhino — often requires keeping agood distance, from the safety of a vehicle. Not so with thegorillas. The close viewing on equal footing makes the tripuniquely thrilling.
At times, we found ourselves surrounded by the gorillas, who canbe very active in the short hour tourists get to visit them. All around, there is much eating. Small gorillas climb trees,occasionally falling with a thump after underestimating theirweight on a snapping vine. Thudding chest-beating can be heard.Young gorillas ride on the backs of their parents.
A large sedentary gorilla opens its mouth wide and grunts at tworambunctious youngsters. A silverback grooms a young female beforepulling her underneath him for a mating session.
Getting Too Close
A young gorilla is cradled gently in an adult's arms.
When we get too close, our guide uses vocalizations to easetensions. With a throaty rumbling hum, the guide seems to calm themwhen we get within several feet.
But a wrong move can bring a sudden response. One gorilla letour group know when its comfort zone had been violated.
Andrew Jones saw nothing but "just kind of a blur of a largeanimal flying by" as a gorilla rushed toward him in an apparentbluff charge. The guide grabbed Jones' arm and shoved him away,hard.
"The heart was racing a little," said Jones, one of thetallest members of our group, who lives in Kigali and was on hissecond trip to see the gorillas.
For the most part, though, the gorillas appeared very tolerantof our presence.
"I felt very secure, even while the silverback came quiteclose," said Eric Sevrin, of Oslo, Norway.
Tourists in Rwanda can visit four groups of gorillas that havebeen habituated, which means they have become accustomed to shorthuman visits. Park officials use radios to communicate with guidesto keep them posted on where the gorillas roam.
The trip lures a wide variety of people, not just exotictravelers or animal biologists. My group included a hedge-fundtrader, a computer programmer and a relief worker. Seeing the Susa group can require up to four hours of hiking onsteep and wet slopes at a high altitude. Our trek took a littleover two hours to reach the gorillas; other groups take less timeto reach but have fewer apes.
We were at about 9,840 feet above sea level. It was a beautifulhike along a narrow and sometimes slippery trail, part of which ranthrough a bamboo forest. Frequent rains create the misty fog thatthe area is known for, but our hike was full of sun.
The park is made up of a string of six extinct and three activevolcanoes in the Virunga mountains near the borders of Congo,Rwanda and Uganda. It is where primatologist and Gorillas in theMist author Dian Fossey studied mountain gorillas for about 18years before she was murdered in 1985.
Forced to Close
The 1994 genocide in Rwanda and subsequent attacks by rebels ofthe former Rwandan army forced Volcanoes National Park to close tovisitors and researchers. It reopened in July 1999. Since then,tourist visits have been growing.
Alecia Lilly, who directs the Conservation Action Program forthe Atlanta-based Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, said the approximately30 daily spots for tourists started filling up consistently in2003. Each group of habituated gorillas is allowed only one visit aday by a group to keep them from getting stressed out.
"It's difficult to get an opening unless you do so inadvance," said Lilly, who lives in Kigali.
Her group is now studying the effects of tourism on gorillabehavior.
A census report released in January found that the number ofmountain gorillas living in central Africa has increased by 17percent during the past 15 years. The census was conducted latelast year by Rwandan, Ugandan and Congolese wildlife experts.
In the past, experts estimated there were 670 mountain gorillasin the wild, including more than 300 gorillas in the BwindiImpenetrable Park in southwestern Uganda.
The recent census, however, did not include Bwindi's gorillasbecause it is believed they are of a different subspecies,according to the Dian Fossey fund.
A National Treasure
The Rwandan government has taken a keen interest in protectingthe gorillas and the tourist revenue they can bring in, said ZacNsenga, the Rwandan ambassador to the United States. Before thegenocide, gorilla tourism was one of the small central Africancountry's highest income earners after coffee and tea exports.
"The gorillas are a treasure in that perspective," Nsengasaid.
The park area in Rwanda has been secure since 1998, Nsenga said.The Rwandan Defense Forces provide security in the park againstattacks by rebel groups operating from Congo. The RDF also providemilitary escorts for visitors viewing the mountain gorillas.
In 1999 in neighboring Uganda, two Americans, four Britons andtwo New Zealanders were killed by Rwandan rebels while on a trip tosee gorillas in the Bwindi Impenetrable Park. Three Rwandan rebelswere arrested last year for the slayings.
Visitors must have permission from Rwanda's Office of Tourismand National Parks (ORTPN) to visit the gorillas.
The U.S. State Department advises visitors to leave the Rwandanpark by 6 p.m. and to follow ORTPN and military escorts'instructions closely.
During my hike, the only obvious threats appeared to be fromstinging plants or a fall down a slippery trail. The region'svolatile history could cause one to avoid visiting. But theopportunity to see these rare and impressive animals without cagesor fences in the middle of Africa was too much for me to pass up.
Mountain gorillas, which are endangered, have never been raisedsuccessfully in captivity.
Last year, Fossey's Karisoke Research Center, which wasdestroyed in the war, has been rebuilt for tourist visits, Lillysaid. The area includes Fossey's grave site, as well as those ofher favorite gorillas.
The park charges $250 per person for a permit to see thegorillas. It may be a high price for an hour with the apes, but noone in our group expressed any disappointment.
"I felt lucky that I could be there at all," Sevrin said.
If You Go…
GETTING THERE: Ethiopian Airlines, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines andKenya Airways have flights to Kigali, the Rwandan capital, fromEngland. Kenya Airways also has flights from Nairobi. The closesttown to the park in Rwanda is Ruhengeri, a 90-minute drivenorthwest of Kigali. Tourists can rent cars or take buses fromKigali. TOURS: Visitors without previously arranged trips are advised tostop by Rwanda's Office of Tourism and National Parks in Rugengeria day before their trip to check in and get permits. Tour groupsoffer trips of varying lengths. Some tours include nearby trips toother sites in neighboring countries. Visitwww.discoveryinitiatives.com or www.responsibletravel.com fordetails. ACCOMMODATIONS: In Ruhengeri, the Gorilla's Nest Hotel hassingle and double rooms. The Hotel Muhabura has large doubles andsuites. The Home d'Accueil Moderne has double and twin rooms. It iseasy to find lodging for less than $50 a night. TIPS: Bring mosquito repellent, sturdy footwear and rain gearfor the hike. The mountains are often rainy. FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact www.gorillafund.org orwww.rwandatourism.com.