We woke early today, as we will every day of the safari, to get out while the animals are most active. We drove through the forest to the Ruhija gorilla camp, where we met our trackers and set off to find the Bitukura group. The gorillas are habituated to humans here, but they are still wild and move about as they please. Trackers go every morning to the last night’s known sleeping place, and then follow the trail to find the gorillas by mid-morning. We had an easier time of it, walking through the forest and enjoying the scenery, waiting for a call from the trackers with the new position.
Bushwhacking
Waiting for call from Trackers
Then we descended into a steep valley, hacking a trail with machetes and tramping down the bushes with our boots. The elephants here are more destructive to the forest, digging up ferns and trees for their roots, so we didn’t feel too bad about the minor environmental destruction we caused. First we saw gorilla poop, remarkably similar to human but with some yellow banana bits. Then we heard them, grunting and chewing leaves, then we turned a corner and were a few meters a from massive silverback, three young blackbacks, two juveniles, and a female with a baby.
Most of the time, they seemed to ignore us, content to eat, scratch and fart without paying us any mind.But for brief moments, they reminded us that they are wild animals. We saw a small fight, where two males chased a female, causing quite a ruckus. One of our guides also got too close to a male, who charged at him with surprising speed. He swung his machete and yelled, and the situation was over in a few seconds. But we were all reminded that these are wild animals not teddy bears, and left with a healthy respect for their speed and strength.
Pondering
Taking photos
Peekaboo
In the afternoon, we had a relaxed walk to find the local three-horned chameleons. These were almost harder to find than the gorillas, and we searched for an hour along the tree fences for the camouflaged little creatures. But when we found a group of children, and offered to pay them a few shillings, they plucked one out of the bushes in minutes. Later, as we were walking back, their father came running down the road, machete swinging, with a large chameleon on a stick. We marveled at the animal’s adaptations for crawling along branches, with mitten-like feet, independently swiveling eyes, and a tounge longer than his body.
Hey there, chameleon
Found one
We also saw several beautiful birds, including the colorful regal sunbird, and several species of monkey. The biodiversity of this forest is really incredible, and the work to preserve it is invaluable.
Regal Sunbird
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