Gorilla Groupie

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest (sounds like something from 'Harry Potter', doesn't it?) is on the edge of the western rift valley, in the south west of Uganda & is home to the rare mountain gorilla. (Currently, they can only be found in s. w. Uganda, Rwanda and the Congo). We had an exhilarating trek through the forested slopes of the mountain, scrabbling up vines & cutting through the bush, until we reached the Mubare Gorilla group's habitat in the shady, bamboo forest.

The silverback was grabbing a bite to eat in one of the trees; whilst the rest of the group (including two babies) larked about on the ground - one of the young males even approached us & took a curious delight in my camera bag, but not before stopping to examine Jan's hair. The gorillas completely accepted our presence, although one little chap did beat his chest King-Kong style at us, which was quite amusing!

In 2004, I was charged by a hippo in Kenya's Masai Mara National Park. I would say that meeting the gorillas was as memorable a wildlife experience as that was, though a far more poignant one.