Spending Time With Wild Mountain Gorillas Is A Life Changing Experience

Usually after tourists return from visiting mountain gorillas in Rwanda, they declare it to be “a life changing experience”. Mountain gorillas are an incredibly unique species that display complex behaviour and exhibit distinct personalities so it is not surprising that eco-tourists feel this way. Just getting to the mountain gorilla in the wild is a thrilling experience since they live in one of the most beautiful places on Earth. Their habitat is one of the few remaining tropical mountain forests, perched on the steep slopes of the Virunga volcanoes.

Simply unforgettable

Gorilla groups have spread themselves across all five volcanic mountains and the first sight of them is simply unforgettable. When tourists find themselves up close and personal with the species they are usually amazed by how perfectly calm mountain gorillas are. They tend to glance at humans but quickly return to what they were doing. The adult male mountain gorilla is huge and can weigh as much as 400 pounds. They are the famous silverbacks, so called because of the grey coloured hair on their backs. Adult females are much smaller and do not have grey backs.

Eating and resting

Arguably the most fascinating thing to watch is the mountain gorilla eating. The group tends to spread out to do this in order to achieve the greatest accessibility to the plants they consume. Gorillas feed on leaves, stems, roots, flowers and fruits and in order to get the required level of nutrition they need to feed on between 40 to 80 pounds of plants a day. Feeding periods tend to last for quite a bit of time, after which the gorillas usually take break and rest. This is the best time to observe how they interact socially because you can see which gorillas stay near each other, and who is closest to the dominant male.

Play time

Whilst the adults rest, the younger gorillas usually play by chasing, tickling and wrestling with one another. This is quite hard work as it goes, so they also tend to have to take breaks and rest in order to recover. Play is critical for young gorillas because it trains them in the same way playing trains human children. Although young gorillas play, it is not limited to them alone, and gorillas of all ages can engage in play.

Behaviours to observe

Mountain gorillas like to engage in grooming one another and if you are lucky enough to visit, one of the most precious moments you can experience is when a mother carefully grooms her infant. The dominant male usually decides when the resting session ends and will then set the next destination for the group. As soon as he makes a move, the rest of the group follows him in a line, with the more dominant members at the front. If you ever get the chance to see a gorilla group on the move, you will be surprised at how quickly they disappear into the forest.

Make sure you remain aware

One of the most memorable wildlife experiences you will ever have will be to spend time with mountain gorillas. There are only 880 mountain gorillas left in the wild, so it is really important that tourists are aware of their own behaviour when they are with the species so as to minimise the risk. This means you need to make sure you maintain the required distance away from them. If you need to cough, do so into your arm and do not eat or spit in the forest.