Kuryama group had been missing for 2 days.  Sometimes groups do that – they may wander into DRC or move so quickly during or after an interaction with another group that trackers cannot find them.  That must have been the case with Kuryama’s group.  When they were found the morning of New Year’s Eve the group had acquired Umwana, a new female from Pablo group!  And Kuryama himself had acquired a deep laceration on his hand.  That’s why I went up to visit the group early in the morning on New Year’s Day.  

My day started at 5am, pre-dawn.  It was wonderful to bring in the New Year, watching and listening to dawn break over Rwanda.  The ibis and roosters start about 4:30, and gradually other birds join in, resulting in a full chorus by 5:30, with sunrise complete by 6am.  I picked up the trackers at the DFGFI house in Bisote at 6:45, and we drove another 30 minutes over lava boulder roads to our parking spot.  It was a BEAUTIFUL morning. Cool and breezy and clear.  I passed people dressed in their Sunday best heading to New Year celebrations.  I learned to say Umwaka Musha – Happy New Year in kenyarwanda as I passed them on the paths up the mountain.  

While I’m learning the roads to each of the various parking areas, I still have not been on many of the paths up the mountains.  This particular path was new to me – it took us about an hour to reach the buffalo wall that surrounds the park. Along the way we passed field after field of potatoes, wheat and sorghum, along with small homesteads with cows, sheep and goats in the yards.  I’m still not as fast as the trackers, but if we go slow and steady I can keep up now!  

Once we reached the wall we stopped and prepared to enter the park.  Donat, the main tracker, told me the group was only about 20 minutes inside.   We donned our rain pants and raincoats and crossed the wall, leaving behind the cultivated fields and immediately were enveloped in cool, wet vegetation.  One of the trackers picked up the panga (machete) that is always cleverly hidden in a tree just inside the park.  Another had a rifle, carried for protection just in case we encounter a forest buffalo, which can be quite dangerous.  We walked for only about 10 minutes when we heard chest beating behind us.  It sounded like the gorillas were outside the park boundaries.  We retraced our steps and once outside the wall we continued along the wall for about another 15 minutes, crossing a lovely river, and there they were.  All of Kuryama group was just outside the wall, contentedly stripping eucalyptus bark from the planted trees in the area. 

Mountain gorillas love to strip the bark and eat the tender pulp of eucalyptus trees. 

Kuryama’s group eating eucalyptus outside the park boundary. 

We found Kuryama easily, and he was obviously alert and responsive, and was using his injured hand to walk normally.  He moved to a nice grassy spot to rest, and was immediately surrounded by family members.  As Donat and I approach him, it was almost as if he knew I needed to see his hand, and he held it up so that I could see the deep laceration along the palm of his left hand, just below his thumb.  Poor guy!  There was considerable muscle exposed, but he was keeping it very clean.  Donat told me that he is behaving normally, and feeding well, but not using that hand to feed.  I can understand why! 

Kuryama looking over his group just outside the park. 

Kuryama is resting in the upper right. The other silverback is Vuba. The kids stayed and wrestled near Kuryama for the next 20 minutes! 

Kuryama showed me his hand. 

Keeping his wound clean is important. 

Exposed muscle. 

Kuryama settled down for a rest with one of his young sons. 

Once we had fully assessed the wound, and determined that it will likely heal on its own as long as it does not get infected, Donat and I moved off to check the rest of the group.  Kuryama has 2 other silverbacks to help him with the group – Vuba and Kirahure.  Both were nearby, and did some nice displays.  There are now 6 adult females in the group including the newly added Umwana, along with 2 juveniles and 5 infants.  Makes for a wonderful group.  We noted that Ukuri, an adult female, had a small abrasion on one of her fingers, but not at all serious, and Igihozo, one of the juvenile males, had a minor cut on the bottom of his left foot, causing him to walk on his heel, but again, not serious at all.  Two of the females had moved back into the forest, so Donat and I climbed the wall to monitor them.  Muganga and her infant Rugira were munching on their breakfast of forest food rather than eucalyptus.

Rugira with her mom Mahirwe. 

We determined that all was well with the group.  Donat and the other trackers will watch the wound closely, and if there is any sign of infection they will call us immediately.  We left Kuryama as he was cleaning the wound again, and headed back down the mountain.  As we walked we heard beautiful singing from far below us – Donat explained that this was a celebration of the New Year.  I felt so lucky to bring in the New Year on this beautiful day in Rwanda, to be allowed by Kuryama to visit his family, to be trusted enough by Kuryama that he actually showed me the injured hand.  Fingers crossed it will heal well, and next time I see him he’ll show me the scar.

Happy 2010 from Rwanda!

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