It is the rainy season herein Rwanda, and it rained all night. I knew I was headed to the forest the next morning, and hoped the rain might stop for a bit. I lucked out – when I got up that morning it was cool and relatively sunny. I met up with trackers Jean, Isaac and Jonas at 6:45, and we headed up the now familiar potato field path to the edge of the forest. We were headed to Titus group, and I was really looking forward to seeing them. Rano has done a good job with the group since the death of his father Titus last fall. Tuck, the old female who stayed with Titus until the end, has adjusted to life in the group without her lifelong friend, and their 4 year old son Segasera is doing very well. Rano has acquired another female, Umwana, so the group is growing!

As we entered the forest we were in a bamboo zone, and almost immediately the trackers and 2 military men who were with us became very alert and peered through the bamboo. Then I heard them. About 20 forest buffalo were off in the distance stamping and snorting. The trackers began making loud shushing noises, whistling, and banging the bamboo with their machetes while I stood there, listening and watching. Thundering hoof beats ensued as the buffalo moved off, and for the next few minutes the trackers remained on red alert, but there were no more buffalo encounters that day.

We climbed through the bamboo zone into an area that was thick with sharp elephant grass, beautiful papyrus, ever present nettles, 10 foot tall lobelias and ferns, blackberry bushes that grabbed my raingear and made me hope that “rip stop” nylon really meant that. There were also scattered hygenia trees hung with moss. The air was cool and there were bird calls all around us as we walked along a path between 2 ravines. The path was muddy from the recent rain, but not the up-to-your-knee boot-sucking-off mud we sometimes encounter. Just nice soft cool mud that felt sort of good when you stepped into it, as long as you didn’t slip and fall. I have learned to watch where the trackers place their feet so that I avoid stepping into the deep quicksand like mud, although I still seem to find those areas once in a while…

We found the night nests from Titus group in about an hour. Six nests. We recorded the GPS location then followed the trail to try to find the group.

Here’s the view of town from Titus group’s night nests. 

The trackers followed the trail and within 15 minutes we found gorillas! But it was Bwenge group, not Titus group! Jean spoke to the Bwenge trackers, and then we backtracked to the area of the night nests, picking up another trail. After about 30 minutes we ran into another group of trackers – they were looking for Isabakuru group. The tracks were cris-crossing and confusing that morning! The trail we were following turned out to be a dead end, so we turned around again. Then we got word on the radio from Bwenge group trackers that Titus group was very near Bwenge group. Good news. We headed that direction and finally met up with Rano and his group at 9:30.

It was a wonderful visit. The group was resting and eating peacefully within 50 meters of Bwenge group. Bwenge and Rano are both the sons of Titus, and grew up in the same group, which makes these peaceful meetings possible. I saw the new addition to Rano’s family – the adult female Umwana. She was eating her breakfast not far from Rano. I asked Jean if Tuck was friendly with Umwana, and he said they were now good friends, but that Tuck still didn’t much like Rano. Rano is much nicer to Tuck now though, and in Jean’s words “Rano makes copulation with Umwana now, so he can be nicer to Tuck, but Tuck still does not like Rano.” We found Tuck resting in thick underbrush, looking great! Her belly was full and her hair coat was shiny. She is one of the oldest females in this population. Fingers crossed she’ll be with us for much longer.

Umwana enjoying breakfast. 

Next we came to Segasera and his brother Turakora, who is a black back male. They were playing and laughing and chasing one another. Their other brother (Tuck is the mother of all 3!) sub adult male Urwibutso was nearby eating thistle. It was a lovely family scene.

Urwibutso eating thistle.

Segasera looking for mischief!

Once I’d seen everybody in Titus group I could not resist the opportunity to do a health check in Bwenge group. After all, they were only a stone’s throw away! So I left Jean and joined the Bwenge trackers and researchers. The group was in a small clearing eating, playing and resting. It was absolutely wonderful to watch such a content, healthy family group.

Bwenge and his family.

There were 5 mothers and their infants along with Bwenge himself, and I was surrounded by gorillas, listening to them singing and grumbling and laughing. Hearing the crunching sounds of their chewing thistles, and loud frequent passing of gas, a result of their vegetarian diet! Here are a few images of this lovely family.

Maggie and her baby.

Bwenge resting in the sun.

The group didn’t seem to have a care in the world this morning.

I returned to the office renewed and happy, ready to do the office work that is always waiting for my attention. It was such a special morning.

Help the Gorilla Doctors.

---