Are gorillas friendly
Gorillas are stocky animals with tiny eyes , large hands and broad chests and shoulders.
They have 98.3% genetic similarity with humans making them very close cousins of humans alongside baboons and chimpanzees
Mountain Gorillas stay in families or groups led by a dominant silverback.
Below is a mountain Gorilla family composition
Dominant silverback, mature females , black backs juvenile females , infants and other submissive silverbacks in case there are others in the group .
Mountain Gorillas are herbivores feeding on majorly leaves of plants , bamboo , fruits and also include insects in their diets.
Gorillas fear rain and seek shelter from rain just like humans do.
However , gorillas have very fearless faces and their actions sometimes make people think twice about their nature but the simple fact is , gorillas are generally very friendly giants most especially after habituation .
They laugh , play and mourn their loved ones during loss . They also get so playful with humans and show no aggression for as long as there is no threat of danger or feeling of insecurities
Nevertheless, when gorillas feel insecure , they send warnings to their opponent or supposedly enemy before an attack to let them back off or face challenge and engage in things like throwing down trees. Beating the ground . Beating their chests, hooting in a defensive mechanism . It is only when the mountain Gorillas feel challenged that they will attack and potentially cause danger .
It is therefore very vital to ensure that you follow all gorilla safety rules and regulations while having an encounter with the gorillas.
In addition to that, mountain Gorillas are found in three countries that is Democratic republic of Congo, Rwanda and Uganda and are available for trekking at any time of the year although most tourists carry out their trekking preferably during dry season as the trails are not wet and slippery making hiking much easier.
Mountain Gorillas are also not resistant to diseases such as flu and therefore it’s important to ensure health before having an encounter with the gorillas.
Cost of gorilla trekking in the three countries.
In Uganda , it Costs;
700 USD for foreign non residents
600 USD for foreign residents
300,000 Uganda shillings for East African citizens
In Rwanda
It costs 1500 USD to trek
Gorilla trekking limitations
Persons under the age of 15 are not allowed to trek .
By and large, gorillas are generally very friendly giants provided they feel at peace and are not insecure in any manner
