Mountain gorillas in Uganda
In a misty forest, high in the mountains of Uganda, lives a family of mountain gorillas. To visit them, tall Ivo, frightened Bassie and I climbed up a volcano through the dense jungle for over two hours. Until we suddenly found ourselves face to face with a young male weighing up to 135 pounds!
Grrrrr
HolyMoly! Trust me: with a gorilla you really don't want a fight. They are real powerhouses and there is no point in running away. These apes are much stronger and faster than we are. The best thing you can do is to stand your ground yourself and follow the rules of the group. To let them know I mean no harm, I make a low growling sound. It works! I am allowed to stay.
"Gorillas don't drum with their fists, they drum with their fingers. They make kind of little bowls with their hands and they can make a lot more noise with that!"
Boss over boss
Then I see him. The biggest, strongest, toughest man in the group! The silverback. What a macho man! He is the leader here and everyone listens to him. This boss is easy to recognize because he has a big silver stripe on his back. To let me and the other gorillas know how big and strong he is, he drums his hands on his chest. The lower the sound, the bigger the animal. Fat!
