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Protecting the Mountain Gorillas of Virunga
Video: Silverbacks searching for food in the bamboo belt of Virunga
This video was shot by our Rangers out on patrol de-snaring the Gorilla Sector. It is the 2 Silverbacks of the Mapuwa family - Mapuwa himself and Nvuyekure. We always recognize Mapuwa because he is missing 2 fingers on his right hand.
And Nvuyekure - well he is a survivor. In 1995 his father Rugabo was killed and he was taken in by Rangers. Norbert Mushenzi was able to successfully return him, just a few days later, to his family where he has stayed ever since…
Watch for the chest thumping at 1 minute 30 seconds!
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This website was funded by the European Union and the Prince Bernard Nature Fund.
This website was funded by the European Union and the Prince Bernard Nature Fund.
17 Responses to “Video: Silverbacks searching for food in the bamboo belt of Virunga”
Just beautiful! The silverback is so impressive, very handsome, fantastic images…..
It is so wonderful to see the gorillas in their natural habitat and able to survive so well and with much intelligence and even patience! Thanks to all of you who make this possible!!!
Une beaute divine….merci pour les images; presque un ballet aux Virungas.
As usual you all believe that what you are doing is beyond reproach.Whether its trying to save gorillas or whales the ground continually lost doesnt seem to register.A recent study on rapid primate loss strenghthens my more radical stance.I am aware that the vast majority of people in the villages don’t poach and leave the gorillas alone.Those that don’t should be dealt with mercilessly.Isnt it ironic that genocide of perfectly innocent people occurs whilst the so called developed world watches and here the absolutely heinous slaughter baby gorillas is met with rather mild reprimand.I would welcome the opportunity to patrol Virunga but you wouldnt allow me to bring the necessary arsenal to once and for all destroy the bastards who would cause the extinction of our ancestors.
This is awful. Is this ranger chasing the silverback? And why?
He comes way too close, without a clear purpose. Isn’t there a minimum distance which also the ICCN rangers should try to keep? (For tourists, it is 7 meters, and rightfully so. A close distance increases the risk of transfering infectuous diseases from humans to gorillas, for instance.) It’s therefore even more terrible to see how this ranger purposely disturbes these threatened wild animals by following them at a one meter distance.
We seriosuly wonder why you feature this video on your website; this is not a good example for potential tourists, researchers, film makers and other rangers.
The ranger should be happy that these giant animals are so gentle, indeed. I wouldn’t have been surprised if silverback Mapuwa had decided to make a not-so-gentle physical gesture of disapproval…
Ultimately you have to ask yourselves this question…do we as homo sapien (the wise man) deserve to exist in the magnificent diversity which anchors the web of life itself to its self if we cannot each and everyone value our very existence in the puzzle pieces of this world?
Wow, surprised by some of the responses on here..hmm..not sure what to say….I enjoyed watching the video! Thanks for sharing…..I think the rangers know what they are doing since they are around the gorillas the most! Thanks for giving us a closer look into their lives…truly a magnificent creature!
Thank you for a glimpse at these magnificent silverbacks. There is no end to our admiration of the Virunga rangers and we have complete trust that they handle themselves just right around their precious charges. We salute their dedication and wish all the best to the Mapuwa family.
Bruce - the Rangers are doing their very best with the resources they have to protect the gorillas and other wildlife in Virunga. Yesterday for example 8 poachers were arrested in the Mikeno Sector, and more snares were removed. And Emmanuel is in Bukima today getting the Community Scout scheme underway. There is a long long way to go - but please trust the men who have dedicated their lives to protecting this heritage that you quite rightly value so much.
John Davids - you are right that there is a 7 meter rule. Sometimes it is difficult to maintain, as anyone who has seen gorillas will tell you (and I am guessing you have). In this case the Ranger was filming with a Sony HD camera that has a powerful zoom. Go here to see more http://gorillacd.org/2009/10/14/gorilla-rangers-get-video-savvy/ The Rangers also all wear masks - but you are quite right that when he is filming the young gorilla he is definitely closer than 7 meters. I think in this case though that the gorilla would have walked out next to him. Thank you for pointing this out.
WOW!!!!!!! What awesome footage….just proves even more how much we need to preserve these glorious creatures in their natural environment. Thank you so much for sharing the video..xxxx
Saw the photo and there was no question: this must be Mapuwa. And I have been right
I love this guy!!!
Thank you for this awesome footage! Silverbacks are such magnificient animals. Reference to some of the comments on this blog, I do get extremely frustrated at times with the way human race is destroying this planet and it’s natural habitats and doesn’t seem to have any respect for other species and their right to exist on this planet. However, there is no other long term solution, in order to create a functional coexistence between humans and other species than involving the local communities in the conservation work. It has to be done in a peaceful way teaching people of the importance of natural habitats and animals depending on those habitats. There isn’t enough armed forces to patrol all areas and defend the animals with guns only. Local communities have to learn to take responsibility of the environment around them and understand how their well being is strongly linked to the survival of the forests and it’s animals.
This, once again makes my day !! Wonderful and what a power
Thanks for magnificent video from everyday life of families of gorillas. You should thank to the rangers as you could never see these precocious shoots of life of these magnificent animals and consequently people to be aware of plight of gorillas. The rangers are with them every day to protect them and you can not restrict gorillas in movement and rangers they are not tourists they are protectors. Not many people can come and see them but when they see live video and they can in other ways to help in conservation. Pouching and killing wildlife is a problem in all world but to involve a local community is one of best solution as they will also “watch” for well being of these beautiful - almost like us humans - gorillas.
Amazing video, such strong animals!
The video is wonderful! I have no doubts that the rangers conduct themselves in a professional way and follow the rules the tourists do. I knew without being told that they had high zoom video cameras and would not invade the gorillas space just to get a shot. However, gorillas go where they like and sometimes they are the ones that get too close to the humans. Wearing masks protects them and the rangers are trained to stay calm and let the gorilla pass. Taking advantage of the closesness by filming the gorilla is not putting the gorillas at risk. Frankly, I am growing weary of reading statements of critics who have no idea what these men do daily, including risking their lives, to protect these animals. These men deserve respect. They know what they are doing and they do it with the gorilla’s welfare foremost in their minds.
Thank you Innocent for the posting and the rangers on patrol that day to give us this extraordinary slice of jungle life of these magnificant beings
So sad the de-snaring is ongoing…