6 Funny Facts About The Mountain Gorillas

Most tourists come to the Virunga massif with only one intention: to trek the mountain gorillas. Yes, these primates have become like tourism holy grail to the three countries; Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) that share the vast Virunga range.

Mountain gorillas are endangered species, with only 1004 of them estimated to be remaining on earth, according to the latest census. But every year, increasing number of tourists come to these countries for gorilla trekking, and they still cannot get enough of these amazing animals. Is gorilla trekking in your bucket list this year? Virunga Community Programs will ensure that you do have a good experience with the animals when you book your gorilla trekking with us to see them in all the three countries. The following are some interesting facts about the mountain gorillas.

1. They live in forested mountains

As their name suggests, they live in the mountains, and these mountains are forested. They sometimes climb up the peak of these mountains. Virunga Community Programs advises that when you are doing mountain gorilla safaris, you should be ready to hike through forested mountains. However, this shouldn’t scare you since they live on relatively lower slopes and they can be tracked for shorter periods of time, normally between one and two hours.

2. They feed predominantly on plant leaves and bamboo shoots

Mountain gorillas are vegetarians. They spend most of their time feeding on leaves and bamboo shoots. Sometimes they sit and grab all the edible leaves their arms can reach. They also eat wild fruits. The baby gorillas breastfeed till they reach a reasonable age when they are able to begin feeding on their own.

3. They live in families and groups of their choice

Mountain gorillas live in families or groups ranging between 10 and 30 or even more. The families are led by a silverback, which is a dominant male gorilla which fights hard to protect the family. When a male mountain gorilla feels that it is strong enough, it will fight hard to get females and when possible it will leave the main group to begin a new life.

4. They are very aggressive if provoked

These are very peaceful animals. However, try provoking it. That is when you are going to see its bestial side. When people are in their presence, they will continue relaxing or feeding. They will move away to keep a reasonable distance with tourists. But do not provoke them in any way. They are quite strong and when disturbed may lose their temper and attack. Therefore, to avoid any fracas with them, Virunga Community Programs recommend that you should keep a reasonable distance away when you go tracking them (This is normally 7 meters). Also avoid aping their habits like chest beating since this would appear you are challenging them to a fight. Do not make a lot of noise and do not also use flash photography.

5. They are mobile animals

They normally move from one place to another in search of fresh foods. They therefore don’t have a permanent place to call home. Instead they build new sleeping nests every day where they are going to sleep that night. It’s among the reasons why trekking them normally involves moving since they are also on the move.

6. They are prone to human diseases

Mountain gorillas have 98% DNA similar to human being. They may therefore easily contract human diseases such as flu and several other communicable illnesses within a short period of time. This is why there’s a cap on the number of tourists (8) visiting a gorilla family in a day and strictly spending only one hour with them.

Going for a gorilla trekking safari in DRC, Rwanda and Uganda is an exciting and memorable experience. But you should take necessary precaution before starting your tour. Virunga Community Programs Staff is going to adequately prepare you for your trekking by giving you necessary advice prior to your excursion into the mountainous forests.