Extraordinary Journeys | Forbes | October 10, 2019

The Wild Earth: In The Midst of Africa

Mary Ann Anderson

Extraordinary Journeys | Forbes | October 10, 2019

RWANDA: Gorillas have become an immense source of income for the country since they are the main tourist attraction of Rwanda. Every year, thousands of tourists arrive from all over the world to take part in expeditions on the slopes of the

Hiking up Rushura Hill in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in westernmost ​ ​ Uganda, right in the heart of Africa, guides lead the way as our small eight-person group passes fragrant angel trumpet vines in full bloom, then banana, sugarcane, and tea plantations before we climb to some 7,000 feet in elevation.

As the guides machete-hack through what I am sure is the thickest jungle growth on the planet, I didn’t think I would make it up the side of that rain-slick, mud-swathed mountain.

After two hours of grueling climbing, stepping over dung and dodging vicious soldier ants, one of the guides stops and turns around. Extraordinary Journeys | Forbes | October 10, 2019

“You,” he points to me in a commanding yet soft voice. “Come with me and be very quiet.”

My heart pounds as it never had before. For the first time ever I was about to see endangered mountain gorillas in their natural habitat. I momentarily forget about the electrifying heat and drenching humidity of the rainforest as I grab the young man’s hand before slipping and sliding a few more steps up the hillside. The rest of the group is but a millisecond behind us.

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Extraordinary Journeys | Forbes | October 10, 2019

The numbers of highly endangered mountain gorillas of the Virunga

Mountains of Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo have risen to just over a thousand because of intensive conservation efforts.

Trekking the Virungas to see them is aDIAN FOSSEY GORILLA FUND ​

At first, all I see is a ghostly black shape in the verdant jungle, but then my eyes adjust to the darkness of the jungle—even in midday, it’s shadowy, almost like twilight—and the shape begins to take the form of a young female gorilla.

I’m trembling not with fear but complete awe as she cradles her tiny baby. And then more gorillas appear, apparitions come to life, and they’re in the trees, on the ground, all around.

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From a few feet away I hear low rumbling, not menacing, really, but a snore-like, throaty groan that absolutely commands dignity and respect.

“That’s the silverback,” the guide whispers and points. “There he is.”

All I see is a patch of black striated with iridescent silver. His back is turned to us, and out of profound arrogance or sheer protectiveness, his eyes never leave his family. He knows we are there. Never once does he glance our way, but without a doubt he would be upon us in a terrifying instant if we venture too close to his beloveds.

All under the eyes of that watchful old silverback, we observed the troop of great and laughed quietly as the juveniles rolled on the ground, turned expert cartwheels, and swung from the low-lying limbs of the canopied forest.

Sometimes, even, they would beat their chests to communicate with their brethren, and I was instantly reminded of all of those old Tarzan movies I watched when I was a child. Extraordinary Journeys | Forbes | October 10, 2019

With the greatest of reluctance, our group had to leave after only an hour, which is all the time you’re given to stay with the gorillas. That hour seemed only moments, and those were moments I never wanted to end. As we turned to slog through the mud and back down the mountainside, I turned for one last look at the happy family. Whether it was in my imagination or reality, the old silverback turned his head slightly toward us as if to say goodbye.

Extraordinary Journeys | Forbes | October 10, 2019

The greatest concentrations of mountain gorillas live in the volcanic rainforests of the Virunga Mountains in elevations ranging from 6,000 to

13,000 feet. GORILLA FUND ​

Learning About Mountain Gorillas. According to the World Wildlife ​ ​ Fund, about a thousand mountain gorillas remain on Earth. The greatest ​ concentrations of them live in the volcanic rainforests of the Virunga

Mountains of Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic Congo in elevations ranging from 6,000 to 13,000 feet.

The highly intelligent gorillas are slightly larger than their eastern lowland, western lowland, and Cross River cousins that live across central and western

Africa. They stand four to six feet tall and weigh up to a quarter-ton, just a solid wall of sinewy muscle. To protect against cool high altitude temperatures, their luxuriant fur is longer and thicker than their lowland cousins. Extraordinary Journeys | Forbes | October 10, 2019

BUKIMA, VIRUNGA NATIONAL PARK, DRC: The Bageni family in the gorilla sector of Virunga National Park, on August 6, 2013 in Bukima, Democratic

Republic of Congo. DRC's Virunga National Park is a protected World

Heritage Site and most biodiverse parkGETTY IMAGES ​

Troops of gorillas—they’re also known as a band or the less common whoop—number up to 30 or so and are led by the older, wiser, dominant silverback, so named for streaks of silver fur that prominently stand out against his otherwise black coat. Challenge him and he might pound his chest, Extraordinary Journeys | Forbes | October 10, 2019 throw rocks, or release guttural roars, but he won’t eat you, as the vegetarian mountain gorillas feast on about 40 pounds a day of sweet roots, shoots, and fruit.

Park rangers Innocent Mburanumwe (L) and Sekibibi Dareke (R) stay quiet as an adult gorilla pushes by as they take notes, while conducting a gorilla population census, on the slopes of Mount Mikeno in the Virunga National

Park in 2008. (ROBERTOAFP/GETTY IMAGES ​ Extraordinary Journeys | Forbes | October 10, 2019

Why Mountain Gorillas Are Endangered. Although mountain gorillas ​ are highly protected and their numbers have slowly increased from near extinction, they still face numerous threats to their existence, including being hunted for meat or the highly illegal trade. Sometimes they are unintentionally caught and killed in traps designed for other animals such as antelope. Habitat loss because of commercial logging, agricultural practices, and bushfires is a major factor in their near demise, but so are civil unrest and war and diseases, including the Ebola virus and -transmitted respiratory-related illnesses.

Although not as prevalent as it once was, gorillas are also hunted for their body parts for medicinal uses or grisly souvenirs. Infants have been stolen to be sold as pets, and often the adults are killed in the process. Extraordinary Journeys | Forbes | October 10, 2019

A young Poppy studies famed primatologist Dian Fossey in 1977.IAN REDMOND AND ​

DIAN FOSSEY GORILLA FUND

The Importance Of Saving Mountain Gorillas. Primatologist Dian ​ ​ ​ Fossey, played so convincingly by in the movie “Gorillas in ​ Extraordinary Journeys | Forbes | October 10, 2019 the Mist,” wrote of the gorilla’s “precarious existence” in the January 1970 edition of National Geographic: “Unless a better plan and more determined effort is made to save the , it is doomed to extinction within the next two or three decades.”

Because of the efforts of those like Fossey, the Leakeys, and —and these are but a scant few names of well-known conservationists who stepped up to help save gorillas from extinction—the beautiful animals would have certainly been fated to never again walk the face of the earth.

Extraordinary Journeys | Forbes | October 10, 2019

Contributions to gorilla conservation projects provide funding for help and support for the rangers in the parks, education for reducing threats from , and establishment of more anti-poaching programs, among other endeavors.DIAN FOSSEY GORILLA FUND ​

What You Can Do To Help. The most important thing is to become more ​ educated about the gorillas and their habitat. If you’re not able to visit them in

Africa, you can support them with donations to or adoptions with programs such as the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, Wildlife Conservation Society, Jane ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Goodall Institute, International Gorilla Conservation Programme, Endangered ​ ​ ​ ​ Species International, African Wildlife Foundation and World Wildlife Fund. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Contributions to these worthwhile projects provide funding for conservation projects, help and support for the rangers in the parks, education for reducing threats from humans, establishment of more anti-poaching programs, and long-term habitat protection. Extraordinary Journeys | Forbes | October 10, 2019

Gorilla trekking can be easy or difficult, depending on the weather, and there are no guarantees that you’ll see the gorillas, although chances are high. The trackers know what they’re doing.DIAN FOSSEY GORILLA FUND ​

Visiting the Gorillas. To see the gorillas in the wild, you must travel to ​ places like Parc National des Volcans in Rwanda, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest ​ ​ ​ in Uganda, Mgahinga National Park in Uganda, and Virunga National Park in ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Extraordinary Journeys | Forbes | October 10, 2019

Typically you fly into Kigali, Rwanda’s capital, or Entebbe in Uganda.

Transportation to the parks is generally by smaller planes or tiny bush planes over some of the most absolutely stunning scenery of the whole of Africa.

Permits are required for gorilla trekking, and the cost is $600 per person in

Uganda ($700 after July 2020), $1,500 in Rwanda, and for the DRC it’s $400.

Permits must be purchased in advance through the country’s tourist office or a reputable tour outfitter such as Extraordinary Journeys, Adventure Consults, ​ ​ ​ ​ Micato, Volcanoes Safaris or Mountain Travel Sobek. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Extraordinary Journeys | Forbes | October 10, 2019

BUKIMA, NORTH KIVU, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO: In 2008, this was the first sighting of mountain gorillas by Congolese Conservation

Authorities in more than 15 months. (Photo by Brent Stirton/Edit by Getty

Images)GETTY IMAGES ​

The Last Word. Visiting the gorillas is not for the faint of heart, certainly, ​ and you should be in pretty good physical shape before taking on such an endeavor. The treks range from easy to difficult, and there are no guarantees Extraordinary Journeys | Forbes | October 10, 2019 that you’ll see the gorillas once you get there, but the chances are high. The trackers know what they’re doing.

You’re allowed only one hour to watch them, but hands-down it’s one of the best hours you’ll ever spend.

Mary Ann Anderson As a longtime travel and nature writer, my work has been syndicated in hundreds of newspapers around the world, currently through Tribune News Service (TNS) and its predecessors McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT) and Knight-Ridder Tribune Information Services (KRT). Before writing almost exclusively for TNS, I also wrote for Scripps Howard News Service and Hearst News Service. I’m also a longtime features writer and columnist for Georgia Backroads Magazine, but I’ve written for many other regional Extraordinary Journeys | Forbes | October 10, 2019 magazines. Among my myriad adventures, I’ve flown on Fat Albert with the Blue Angels, trekked with the mountain gorillas in Uganda, hot-air ballooned across South African savannas, swam with the manatees in Florida, sidestepped diamondback rattlesnakes on numerous nature preserves and islands in Georgia, and walked among the giant tortoises in the Galapagos. I live in a small town in Georgia few have heard of and even fewer have visited.