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National Geographic : 1960 Jan
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National Geographic, January, 1960 Subject for centuries to the hostility of natives, gorillas are today fully protected under international agreement. That part of their range in Albert National Park cen tered around Mount Mikeno in the Belgian Congo is rigidly barred to human visitors. Mountain or lowland, gorillas are univer sally feared by the natives. "But their 'wickedness' has been somewhat exaggerated," Baumgartel told me. "Certainly an adult male gorilla could twist the head off a man without even trying, but, if not annoyed, he is nonaggressive, at times even demure. So long as you do not corner him or drive a wedge between him and his family, the male may roar and charge but, for all his fierce mien, will not follow through. "Should a gorilla approach, hold your ground at all costs. Never run. "Now, as to provisions and carriers for your expedition... you will want Reuben, of course." Reuben Rwanzagire had spent his life in the picturesque Kisoro valley. His frequent contacts with gorillas in the high forests had made him a valued guide and tracker. "Reuben has just bought a wife," Baum gartel was saying, "and he is still making payments on the purchase price. I am sure you can hire him." Gorilla Hunters Take to the Trail When Reuben reported at my hut, he proved to be a spare, keen-eyed African of about 50, decked in a hodgepodge uniform improvised from military surplus (page 118). He and Walter Baumgartel helped me load my car with camping and photographic gear. Men alerted earlier for porter service-11 in all-emerged from their huts as we passed and trotted behind our creeping car. Women carrying wood or working in the fields hailed us; they knew where we were going. "Ngagi," they called, using the Runja-Ruanda word for gorilla. At road's end by the base of Muhavura, I parked the car in a field of yellow wild flowers and unloaded. The porters heaved 40-pound loads up on their heads, and the safari wended its upward way. Nightfall found me domiciled in an empty hut on the 9,500-foot Muhavura-Mgahinga saddle, with Reuben and his two assistant trackers occu pying another. The porters had returned to their valley homes. Next day we set out, with no clue to the whereabouts of the nearest gorilla troop. A hundred yards from camp we came upon fresh elephant and buffalo tracks. These beasts share this lofty habitat with the gorillas but, because they feed mainly at night, are rarely seen. Quarry Leaves Telltale Signs Equally elusive are the leopards, whose tracks we also encountered. Leopards appear to be the apes' greatest natural enemies. They will never attack a healthy, grown gorilla, but are known to haunt a family troop and to pounce on ailing stragglers or young. Smaller animals also share the gorilla forests: duikers, hyenas, forest hogs, hyraxes, and a variety of rodents. In the days that followed, we observed some sunbirds, a few insects, but not one snake. Reuben's skill as a tracker approached divination. Leading us into one of the tunnel like animal trails that honeycomb the bamboo, he would stop suddenly to examine a broken twig; or he would pick up a tiny tuft of hair from the trail, like a housewife finding a bit of fluff on a carpet. If the twig had been broken in a certain way, or if the hair was gorilla fuzz, Reuben would immediately dispatch our two aides into the thicket on our flanks. On a broad front, we would then slowly advance, seeking additional clues: knuckle or foot marks, ex crement, food leavings, crushed vegetation. The man who found such signs would signal a rendezvous with a low whistle. Reassembled, and in total silence, the four of us would file through the undergrowth in search of the next telltale sign. Because of the enormous bulk of food needed by vegetarians the size of gorillas, families and troops continually wander from one feed ing area to another. Seasonal maturing of Cavernous Yawn Bares a Rain-soaked Primate's Inch-long Fangs A gorilla's mouth contains 32 teeth, the same number as man's. But the giant apes chew with an up-and-down action, while man grinds each mouthful with a rotary motion. Hunters respect a gorilla's powerful jaws. Early accounts told of cornered apes seizing assailants' muskets and crushing the barrels between their teeth. o NATIONALGEOGRAPHICSOCIETY 124
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