Silverback Gorilla Trekking and Batwa Tribe Uganda
This video is my journey to trek for the Silverback Gorillas of Uganda // Rwanda.
I was lucky enough to do 2 treks and have some amazing experiences.
The video is 100% filmed by me.
Thanks for the editing assistance.
Francios van Schalkwyk
While in Uganda I discovered the Batwa tribe. Read up on them, 1 of the oldest tribes in the world
“Originally, Batwa were forest-dwelling hunter-gatherers based in the Great Lakes region of Central Africa, and are widely accepted as the original inhabitants of the region. As their traditional forest lands and territories fell under the control of agro-industries and conservation agencies, the Batwa became squatters living on the edges of society. The establishment of the Bwindi and Mgahinga National Parks for Mountain Gorillas in 1991 enabled the authorities to evict the Batwa definitely from the forest. The Batwa in Uganda (today) experience systematic and pervasive discrimination from the government and other sectors of society, and their rights as indigenous peoples are neither recognised nor respected”. (Source Wikipedia)
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Disclaimer: about interacting with Gorillas.
Gorillas are will animals, and can be exceptionally dangerous. It is important to keep a minimum of 7 meters not only for your safety but theirs too.
Rule: All visitors must remain at least seven meters away from Gorillas at all times. If the great apes approach you to two or three meters (as inquisitive juveniles sometimes do), then visitors should slowly move back to five meters. If this is not possible, then the visitors will be asked to remain still where they are. The guide’s instructions should be followed at all times. Keep your backpack and other items in places where young Gorillas can’t approach and investigate them.
REASON: To minimize disease transmission, strain and behavioural disturbance, to reduce the possibilities of possible future aggression towards tourists; and to prevent the Gorillas becoming too habituated to humans.
What happened was a Juvenile Gorilla approached me and I was unable to move away, he reached out for me and touched my hand. I respect conservation, I did what I thought was best in the moment, all while having a trained guide beside me. I consider myself extremely lucky to have experienced what I did, and was told what happened was extremely rare.
I have included the footage of the gorilla touching my hand, not to entice people to touch Gorilla’s but to show how beautiful and human like these animals are. They have been killed, poached and almost completely wipe out by humans (less than 1000 left). For me this footage symbolizes a beautiful connection between humans and Gorillas.
Locations: Volcanoes National Park
Volcano Safari
