The report from the field was that Kwitonda, the chief silverback for the group that bears his name, was slow, lethargic, and staying more than 20 meters behind his group. This was alarming. Kwitonda is said to be at least 35 years old, although we don’t know his age for sure.  He is a strong silverback, but has lost or broken his canine teeth, and could be being challenged by the other two silverbacks in the group, Akarevuro and Kigoma.  We changed our routine health check schedule, and I went up to Kwitonda group the next day. 

We are finally in the rainy season again, so the morning was cool and crisp.  Sabyinyo was beautiful in the morning sun as we walked through the fields to the edge of the forest.   The forest was responding to the rain with a vengeance – plants were growing vigorously, making tracking the gorillas much more straightforward than in the dry season, when gorilla tracks are confused with buffalo and elephant tracks day after day.

Sabyinyo volcano in the morning.We found the group resting and eating contentedly as the sun warmed up the forest.   Kibyei, an adult female, was eating vines up in a nice nest of tree branches with her son Ibidukikije.  He peered at me as I tried vainly to get a photo of the two of them through the leaves! 

Ibidukikije peeking through the leaves

I learned that Kwitonda and the black back Magumu had fought two  days previously.  A short spat, but both were left with some small injuries.  Magumu is about nine years old (another son of Kibyei), and feeling his oats.  We found him eating the soft pulp of a tree branch.  The tracker told me he had a wound on his right hip, but even when he moved away from us I could not see it – the long hair on his hip must have been covering it.  He moved well, and it was clear the wound was not serious.

Magumu stripping bark off a branch to get to the tasty pulp.

Next we found Mbilimbili and her baby sleeping.

Akarevuro, the second in command, was eating galliuim, a sticky vine that the gorillas fold into a nice packet before eating.  Okapi (Kibyei’s seven-year-old daughter) was found near Kwitonda, very busy cleaning the bark from a branch, just like her brother Magumu, eating the tasty pulp.

Finally we found the chief – Kwitonda himself.   He was sitting in a clearing eating like crazy.  He had a small wound on his forehead and one behind his left ear, but they did not seem to be slowing him down.  He ate almost constantly during the 30 minutes we spent observing him, and his belly was nice and full.  He groomed his arm a bit with his stiff index finger on the right hand sticking into the air, useless as a grooming tool. He is also missing the index finger on his left hand.  Battle scars from years gone by.  Clearly he was in good body condition, alert and responsive, and eating well.  I suspect yesterday he was taking it easy after his tiff with Magumu.  Trackers will keep a close watch as always, but it seems this potentially serious situation is resolving on its own, thank goodness.  

Tiny wound on Kwitonda’s forehead.

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