I wrote this post once and my edits did not save so I am going to do the second revision slightly differently than the original version. Each picture in this post is astounding because gorillas themselves are incredibly difficult to reach, extremely protected, and awesomely human in a way that only a chimpanzee could be.
The pictures don't need an explanation to be powerful--the experience was surreal and beyond any other wildlife viewing experience I could imagine. There are very few wild animals that are so powerful and yet so willing to let you be a part of their space without any physical boundaries. It was like a trip through Jurassic Park without the safari vehicle--except we knew the dinosaurs didn't want to eat us.
Gorillas are primates and share many aspects with human beings, yet they are so clearly different from humans in function. I found myself reflecting on the change that humans incur upon their environment for their own gain and most other organisms' loss. It was a sad prospect to think of how much more damage we have done to the world of animals than these peaceful beasts, our close relatives. In the end we felt thankful for the opportunity to meet these beautiful creatures. There have been many people in the past that made gorilla conservation possible--and coming into the forest made the impact of this work very obvious--the Impenetrable Forest of Biwindi ended at the property line and terraced farms began--farms that would have swallowed the homes of gorillas if not for an enormous effort from conservationists.
This was my favorite video of the gorillas because it shows how close and interactive the experience was.
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