As You Get Ready To Go Gorilla Trekking, Please Note

Would you kindly tell me who the largest primates on earth are? If your answer was 'Gorillas', then you are absolutely right! These 'people' are wonderful creatures with a fully grown male gorilla weighing as much as 200 kilograms. Females are however half this weight. Mountain gorillas are always the largest of all the three species, although the largest gorilla ever recorded was an Eastern lowland male.

The male gorillas tend to take a little lengthier time to mature, and their full maturity age falls between ten to fifteen years. Females, usually smaller in size, takes eight to nine years to be fully mature. At this age, it is possible for a female to conceive within the third and fourth day of every month. After which she spends most of her life doing two things; - either being pregnant or nursing. Their gestation period is normally eight and a half months. Just like the infants of a human being, gorilla's newborn infants are highly dependent on the adults and a young infant will rarely leave its mother's arms during the first six months of its life on earth. Initially, the infant clings to the front of its mother but the trend is gradually changed and starts spending most of the time at her back.

The first year elapses without the infant doing so much in its life, but come the second year, a young gorilla gradually begins to socialize and interact with other members of the group. This is also the time that it starts feeling big and responsible enough to feed itself. The infant gorillas always tend to get closer to the silverback gorillas, at times spending time together. This forms a bond between the two and it is not uncommon for a silverback to adopt an infant if its mother dies. This has always been used as a distinguishing trait for gorillas from other primates where child rearing is normally taken as a duty for the females.

From the age of about three years, the young gorillas become quite independent and go an extra mile to start building their own nests! However it is so unfortunate that only 70% of the gorillas leave for more than six years. Don't you think then, that gorillas were just inches away from being normal human beings? Due to this feeling and the fact that they have to be given their respect, the following is a few tips on how we should behave while in their precincts:

During your gorilla trekking:

Try to keep a distance of not less than five meters away from the gorillas.

Avoid loud noises or sudden movements that can threaten them.

Incase you want to sneeze or cough, try to turn away from them.

Don't use a flash when taking their photographs.

Don't eat or smoke next to the gorillas.

No one with a communicable disease is allowed to visit the gorillas.

Stay together with your group while visiting the gorillas. Avoid surrounding or littering.

Take a maximum of one hour hour per gorilla visit.

Children under 15 years of age are not allowed to visit the gorillas.

Enjoy your trek.

Nickson Ogilo,
African Home Adventure ltd
Nairobi International Youth Hostel
Tel:+254 20 2726011
Hotlines:+254 722 760 661/+254 725881 811
E-mail:info@africahomeadventure.com
Web: http://www.africahomeadventure.com
Fax:+254 20 2726011

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