Gorilla habituation exercise
Gorilla habituation exercise, the process of making the gorilla conform to human appearance in their natural habitats. Though they are called the closest human relatives among all creation, mountain gorillas are wild animals. And sometimes they are very aggressive in case of any threat. To combat their aggressive nature, the gorillas are indirectly taken through the habituation process. Which proceeds for a period of not more than 2 years.
History of Gorilla trekking
The American primatologist Dian Fossey, who dedicated the rest of her life to staying with the gorilla, initiated gorilla habituation. Fossey discovered that the gorillas were a bit shy. And they could not allow her to come close. By the 1968s, Fossey was constantly observing the apes from a distance at Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda, and with time. She would openly situate herself with the gorillas at ease by replicating the gorillas’ daily actions of scrabbling and mimicking their vocals, and later she attained the gorillas’ acceptance.
Mountain gorillas are known to be social mammals that live in families with a leader. Who is always the dominant silverback. The lifestyle of the gorillas is about dominating and conquering territories. So this causes havoc because every time one family meets with another, it’s a fight to conquer, especially between silverbacks. The silverback is always determined to defend their family to the death. In the same way aggressiveness can be shifted to people. When they approach a certain group, this makes it necessary to make the gorillas always be assured that people are coming.
So, for any newly discovered or splintered gorilla family. Before it’s made ready for trekking, it’s first taken through the gorilla habituation process until they get used to human presence. The process is done through all the gorilla parks. Mountain gorillas are endangered species and are endemic to the limited parks of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Volcanoes National Park, Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, and Virunga National Park.
All gorilla families available for trekking are fully habituated. Which means close-up encounters are possible and it’s safe to trek gorillas with no fear of finding the wrath of wild gorillas.
Why gorilla habituation is necessary
Mountain gorilla habituation exercises are widely done for trekking purposes. The tourism part dominates, and to make a great adventure experience, allow a close-up encounter. Which suggests that perfect measure. Before any gorilla family is marked ready for trekking, they will first undergo an indirect training period that lasts for no more than two years.
Gorillas are wild mammals that can react aggressively to any threat to them or their families. The gorillas are giant apes that can weigh about 180kg for a silverback. And an adult female can weigh about 90kg to 100kg. This means these are stronger creatures, which can be dangerous because of their aggressive nature. The strength of the gorillas is very dangerous to human beings, and the best way to spend time with them is to make them aware of their presence.
So, researchers, primatologists, and rangers keep an open eye by following the newly seen family. Until it gets used to human characters. The gorilla habituation exercise is aimed at studying the full nature of the gorilla family (behaviors, movements, leadership, and individuals). By the time the habituation process is done. Rangers will know how each family behaves when seeing people.
An experience of the gorilla habituation adventure
Though the exercise is mainly done by experts (researchers, primatologists, zoologists, and rangers). Tourists wishing for habituation exercises are also given a daily opportunity to join the team of experts. Gorilla habituation adventure experiences are. However, not available everywhere; this is a close opportunity that is only open at Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
For the habituation experience, trekkers can roll into the forest with their daypack at 6 a.m., join the other team of experts, and begin a search for the apes. This continues where the gorillas were last seen the previous night. The walk in the moist and misty forest continues until the habituated gorilla family is seen. Then, you’re obliged to follow the gorillas for the full day, which means you must be well equipped to spend a full day in the forest.
The follow-up exercise will let you understand the social behavior of that particular gorilla under habituation. For guests who can’t afford to spend their full day in the forest, after seeing the gorillas, they can spend about 4 hours with them before returning to the starting point. A maximum of four guests or trekkers are allowed to join a team of experts and follow a single gorilla family under habituation.
Gorilla habituation at Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
The gorilla habituation adventure experience is customized to only Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Bwindi Park has only one gorilla family that is set aside for habituation exercises; this is done at Rushaga Sector. Rushaga Sector is located on the southeastern side of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The sector can easily be reached from Kisoro town and has the highest number of habituated gorilla families.
Cost of a gorilla habituation adventure experience permit
The adventure is highly priced; to trek, one must have a habituation permit. The permit costs $1,500 per day. There is only one gorilla family under habituation at Bwindi, and this means only a limited number of four permits are issued to trek gorillas on a given day.