Adrienne's Silverback Gorilla encounter

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Silverback Gorilla Encounter

Contents © Adrienne Catone-Huber, 1995-2004 Photos © JC Kern and A. Catone-Huber, 1994-2004

Zaire, the former Congo, the heart of Africa! We've made it here after days of rough driving from Nairobi, Kenya. We've come to see the Gorillas. The gorillas, the silverback mountain gorillas of Dian Fossey's "Gorillas in the Mist". One of the most endangered species in the world today. A species projected to be both discovered and extinct in the same century.

We climb a steep, difficult slope just to get to the starting point. We're told the trek won't be easy. The guides who track the silverbacks daily left "Oscar's" family in a swamp the day before. It matters little, for as the swamp gets muddier and the walking tougher, our spirits lift. We are truly in the heart of Africa, and the jungle trek makes it seem more real.

After an hour and a half of trudging our way through the jungle swamps, we are rewarded. Elation takes over faster than the quickening beat of our hearts as we see him. Oscar, the prominent silverback male of the family, is just lazing in an open field enjoying the sunshine. Lying on his stomach, he is playing with some flowers. We get closer, closer, 30 feet away, 20 feet, 15 feet. Oscar barely flinches at our approach, but our well-armed guides stop us at about 10 feet. It’s OK, any closer and he’ll be too big for the camera frame.

Oscar, Male Silverback Gorilla He's huge. 300 lbs? More? He lazily looks up at us with little interest. (Are we blocking his sun?) We take pictures. Entire rolls are shot in a matter of minutes. Finally he rises. He lumbers ahead of us, leading us to the rest of the 14 member group. The females are easily 50% smaller than the great silverback. He's obviously the leader of the group. There are 2 more silverback males. Both Oscar's sons, they are not yet old enough to venture out on there own to start new families.

The group meanders slowly through the dense brush, moving with much greater ease than any of us. We follow at close distance, watching with utter fascination the movements and interactions of these great beasts. One of the children is playing high in a tree next to me, but I don't notice him until he jumps out and almost lands on top of me. I jump several feet startled, with my heart somehow beating even faster than before. I swear he looks amused. He saunters over to mom.

Female Mountain Gorilla One of the guides is closely following a female gorilla. She barely notices until another child (is it the same one intentionally causing havoc?) swings down from a branch behind the guide calling with a guttural sound to mom. She turns to find our guide between her and the child. She screeches, lurching forward toward him in a mock attack. He drops to his back in show of submission. Baby runs around and with mother and child reunited, she again ignores the presence of these awkward strangers to the jungle.

After what feels like 10 minutes, our hour is up. It's time to take leave of these mighty beasts. My mind whirls. Will I ever see them again? Only an hour, yet I feel somehow permanently affected. I am so totally overwhelmed, I borrow the $125 fee and the very next day I once again find myself trekking through the African jungle.

Amazingly, the experience of the second day was even more impressive than that of the first. Instead of the normal 8 tourists, part of the group doesn't show (broken down somewhere on the road from Nairobi?), so I am one of only 2 tourists accompanying the three guides. We start from the place they’d been left yesterday, and with fewer people, it’s easier to watch the guides look for clues as they track the route of the gorillas. The trek is even harder today. Though we do not encounter any more swamps, the foliage is so thick a machete is required to traverse the area. The gorillas route then takes us up a steep mountain peak.

Oscar, Feasting on celery stalks As we traverse the ridge, the unfolding scene looks nothing like the lazy calm of the day before. The females are busy climbing what look like short, wide tree stumps. Some are already crouching at the top earning their reward for the climb, a feast of celery stalks. The males aren’t partaking in this feast. They have encountered a lone male, old enough to have left his clan, seeking a female from another group to start a family of his own. Although the lone male cannot be seen, he’s easily heard in the distance, screeching and beating his chest in provocation. Oscar has positioned himself at the top of the ridge. One of his sons is sent down, past the females in the middle, to protect the group. He sends an answering screech. He beats his chest as well, then crashes through small trees, destroying most of the branches and causing quite a ruckus in his show of force. My nervousness is interrupted only by outbreaks of laughter at these flamboyant displays. I can't even help feeling a little sorry for the trees.

Pictures of the males are difficult today, they’re preoccupied and shouldn’t be disturbed. The guides make a lot of noise, “talking” to the silverbacks in a grunting fashion. We don’t want to accidentally surprise anyone in this state of agitation. Oddly, the females seem wholly undisturbed by these events.

One of the females gets curious about me. As she walks towards me, my heart starts pounding wildly and I look around for a place to escape to. One of the guides is behind me and has already explained that moving, even away, is a taken as a sign of aggression. Better to just stand your ground calmly. He notices my nervousness and grabs my shoulders tightly so I won’t move. She continues to approach. About two feet away she stops and looks up at me. (Although she is bigger, she’s on all fours.) She tilts her head curiously, looks me over and continues on past to join a friend.

By this time my knees are shaking. I am just as curious as she, but quite relieved that she has continued on. The guide lets go of my shoulders and my legs are too weak to hold me. I sit down in the jungle, mentally overwhelmed. My anxiety level doesn’t subside until it’s time to leave. Now disappointment overshadows my relief as I realize this chapter in my journey is over.

This experience is one of the best of my life. I leave with elated spirits. On the trek back I think about becoming the next Dian Fossey. I know now what drove her to making a life amongst the greatest of the great apes. I could live here too, in the mountain jungles of Africa. Of course, in my heart I know my expedition will end and I'll return to my Monday to Friday job. But for just a moment in this short life, my dreams are real. I see them in front of me, and if I stand very still, they'll come right up and touch me.