I could hear them long before I could see them, low rumbles, hoots and grunts, plus an unmistakeably loud fart. I could certainly smell them well enough and once our childish sniggering had died down, our guide pulled back the thick bamboo to reveal a simple scene of family life that had been played out in the lush mountains of Rwanda for generations.
Susa group sat quietly in front of us some 7 metres away from where we stood under the watchful eye of the dominant silverback who cast us the occasional disinterested glance as we peered at him through the dappled sunlight of the forest. He snapped off a nearby branch crunching on it noisily, revealing his blackened teeth and gums, occasionally stopping to scratch himself or pick his nose. The only other sound was the soft click of a camera or the hushed grunts of our guides, mimicking the gorillas throaty call of mutual recognition.
The rest of the group were slightly more interested in us, but no less human. Two teenage black backs punched and squabbled with each other in sibling rivalry no doubt played out across the world, whilst the youngest infant wobbled towards us, arms outstretched, on unsteady feet (or should that be hands?) before falling over and disappearing in a bush.
One of the females of the group was slightly more cautious, cradling her newborn infant to her chest, who appeared to us in tufts of black hair and wide, unbelieving eyes.
To see any animal in the wild is a real privilege and an absolute joy, but there is something about seeing a gorilla in the wild that is utterly captivating. Words can't really do the experience justice and superlatives fall short. The only thing I can recommend is for you to go and see this for yourself. Rwanda is one of the most welcoming and open countries I have been lucky enough to visit and with many of our trips now including a free second permit, if you start planning now, before you know it, you could be standing only a few metres away from one of the most iconic animals in the world.
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