This video can not be playedTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.By Lucy WallisBBC NewsWhen a wildlife cameraman was invited to film the gradual exposure of a gorilla family to humans, deep in the forests of the Democratic Republic of Congo, he got a little too close for comfort to the group’s alpha male.Suddenly, the giant silverback – known as Mpungwe – charged at him with a shriek.But, despite being terrified, Vianet Djenguet knew the almost 40-stone (254kg) primate didn’t want to hurt him. It was a test.Anyone attempting to earn Mpungwe’s trust and become a friend needed to show respect.”That charge is a way of saying, ‘Look I’ve got a family here, so back off’,” says Djenguet. “But if you stand your ground, it stops him moving forward.”The gorilla reached out and grabbed Djenguet’s foot.”I could feel the power of his hand,” says the cameraman. “I was quick enough to pull my foot back and then I completely froze.”After he had charged, Mpungwe slid backwards down the hilly terrain and disappeared into the dense foliage.BBC/Off The Fence/Miles Blayden-RyallDjenguet had been invited to meet Mpungwe by conservationists in DR Congo’s Kahuzi-Biega National Park. They wanted him to document their attempts to get the silverback and his family used to the presence of humans.The process – called habituation – can take between two and 10 years and involves tracking and following the animals through the 2,317 sq mile (6,000 sq km) forest.It will only work if the group’s alpha male, the silverback, is willing to accept the humans – if he does, his family will too.Mpungwe and his family are among the last remaining eastern lowland gorillas in DR Congo, and the ultimate aim of habituation is to save them from extinction.BBC/Off The Fence/Vianet DjenguetIf successful, tourists will be able to visit the family, which will raise income to help protect the gorillas and their habitat.This is the second attempt at habituating Mpungwe. A previous attempt in 2015 failed.As an infant, Mpungwe was raised in a family of habituated gorillas, but he was then orphaned in 1996. The rest of his family were killed during a civil war – when the country was known as Zaire.He roamed the forest, alone, says the park’s chief guide, Papa Lambert Mongane. Over the course of time, he met other wild families and “stole wild females”, says Mongane, until finally forming the family he has now.BBC/Off The Fence/Vianet DjenguetBut like any protective patriarch, Mpungwe, who is now 35 years old, will do anything to keep his group of 23 gorillas safe. His family includes male and female gorillas plus babies.Vianet Djenguet was invited to film the habituation process for three months for a BBC documentary. He had to trek through dense forest each day, following the endangered gorillas with an eight stone (50kg) camera and tripod.Gorillas, who share about 98% of their DNA with humans, are just like us, he says. They mentally “photograph your face so they can remem …
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[mwai_chat context=”Let’s have a discussion about this article:nnThis video can not be playedTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.By Lucy WallisBBC NewsWhen a wildlife cameraman was invited to film the gradual exposure of a gorilla family to humans, deep in the forests of the Democratic Republic of Congo, he got a little too close for comfort to the group’s alpha male.Suddenly, the giant silverback – known as Mpungwe – charged at him with a shriek.But, despite being terrified, Vianet Djenguet knew the almost 40-stone (254kg) primate didn’t want to hurt him. It was a test.Anyone attempting to earn Mpungwe’s trust and become a friend needed to show respect.”That charge is a way of saying, ‘Look I’ve got a family here, so back off’,” says Djenguet. “But if you stand your ground, it stops him moving forward.”The gorilla reached out and grabbed Djenguet’s foot.”I could feel the power of his hand,” says the cameraman. “I was quick enough to pull my foot back and then I completely froze.”After he had charged, Mpungwe slid backwards down the hilly terrain and disappeared into the dense foliage.BBC/Off The Fence/Miles Blayden-RyallDjenguet had been invited to meet Mpungwe by conservationists in DR Congo’s Kahuzi-Biega National Park. They wanted him to document their attempts to get the silverback and his family used to the presence of humans.The process – called habituation – can take between two and 10 years and involves tracking and following the animals through the 2,317 sq mile (6,000 sq km) forest.It will only work if the group’s alpha male, the silverback, is willing to accept the humans – if he does, his family will too.Mpungwe and his family are among the last remaining eastern lowland gorillas in DR Congo, and the ultimate aim of habituation is to save them from extinction.BBC/Off The Fence/Vianet DjenguetIf successful, tourists will be able to visit the family, which will raise income to help protect the gorillas and their habitat.This is the second attempt at habituating Mpungwe. A previous attempt in 2015 failed.As an infant, Mpungwe was raised in a family of habituated gorillas, but he was then orphaned in 1996. The rest of his family were killed during a civil war – when the country was known as Zaire.He roamed the forest, alone, says the park’s chief guide, Papa Lambert Mongane. Over the course of time, he met other wild families and “stole wild females”, says Mongane, until finally forming the family he has now.BBC/Off The Fence/Vianet DjenguetBut like any protective patriarch, Mpungwe, who is now 35 years old, will do anything to keep his group of 23 gorillas safe. His family includes male and female gorillas plus babies.Vianet Djenguet was invited to film the habituation process for three months for a BBC documentary. He had to trek through dense forest each day, following the endangered gorillas with an eight stone (50kg) camera and tripod.Gorillas, who share about 98% of their DNA with humans, are just like us, he says. They mentally “photograph your face so they can remem …nnDiscussion:nn” ai_name=”RocketNews AI: ” start_sentence=”Can I tell you more about this article?” text_input_placeholder=”Type ‘Yes'”]
