Are Gorillas Aggressive & Dangerous? Gorillas are among the endangered wildlife species in the world and they can be easily visited in Africa. They are of different species eastern gorillas and western gorillas which are further subdivided to form subspecies. The eastern lowland gorillas and the mountain gorillas are the most visited and these can be easily located in East Africa. Mountain gorillas can be found in the Virunga Mountains at the border of Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The eastern lowland gorillas can be found in Kahuzi-Biega National Park of D.R. Congo.
Every traveler interested in visiting Africa prefers to add visiting gorillas to the bucket list but the question still stands are gorillas dangerous and aggressive? The answer remains that they are dangerous and aggressive since they are wild animals. Gorillas that are visited during gorilla trekking and habituation experiences are first trained to live in the presence of human beings through the habituation process which lasts for 2 to 3 years but there are some gorilla families which can take a year to be habituated. This, therefore, means that they are aggressive when provoked.
Gorillas will first send warnings before attacking a human being in case they are threatened and this will be through chest-beating, stamping their feet on the ground, hooting, or screaming, and in cases, when the threat fails to move away, they will eventually attack. You should note that gorilla attacks are not common in Africa. Therefore, one needs not worry about while on the gorilla safari in Africa about gorilla attack.
Gorillas are often known as gentle giants and friendly apes and primates. They share 98% of their DNA with humans which shows the fact that they are more like we people. They live in groups also called families which comprise 2 to 30 individuals. The gorilla family is headed by a silverback which gets its name when it turns Grey silver hair on its back. When the alpha male is still young, it's known as the black back. Gorillas are social wild animals and they become aggressive when threatened.
This calls for proper briefing before visiting the gorilla family which calls for proper behaviors, and attention while in the presence of gorillas. This means that the dos and don'ts will be well stipulated before trekking or habituation and among others are; avoid feeding wild animals because they will react in case of any outcomes for example if the food is bitter. Avoid using flashlight cameras since they act as a sign of provocation, always keep a distance of about 8 meters, don't mimic what is sounding like the gorillas since no one knows what they are communicating, and many more others.
There are two experiences as highlighted above that enable visitors to trek the endangered gorillas and these are gorilla trekking and gorilla habituation. Gorilla trekking grants an opportunity to spend an hour in the presence of a gorilla family. Only 8 trekkers are allowed to trek with a gorilla family. On the other hand, gorilla habituation allows only 4 trekkers to spend a maximum of 4 hours in the presence of a gorilla family. Gorilla habituation experience is not common and can only be found in the Rushaga sector of Bwindi National Park in Uganda.
A gorilla safari will take you to Uganda’s Mgahinga National Park and Bwindi National Park, Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park, or D.R. Congo in Virunga and Kahuzi-Biega national parks. Visitors can choose to trek from any destination of their choice. Depending on your budget, gorilla permit prices differ from one country to another. Gorilla trekking permits in Uganda cost USD 800, USD 600, and 250,000 UGX for foreign non-residents, foreign residents, and East Africans respectively. In Rwanda, Gorilla Trekking permits cost USD 1500 while in D.R. Congo, the permit goes for USD 400 for foreigners and USD 200 for Congolese.
Visiting gorillas is allowed to persons above the age of 15 years who are free from flu and other infectious diseases. A gorilla permit is sold per person valid for only that booked day. Because they are highly demanded and less in number, prior booking is highly emphasized. To book your dream gorilla safari in Africa don't hesitate to consider Rwanda, Uganda, or D.R. Congo as your preferred destinations.
