Rwanda Journal, Entry 11: Gorillas in the Mist

It's raining in Ottawa and I've been puttering around the house.

Yesterday, I bought a bush shirt from MEC that I'm wearing while thumbing through a Rwanda travel guide. I feel adventurous.

The guide, produced by a company called Bradt, has a picture of a mountain gorilla (presumably from Rwanda) on its front cover.

According to the guide,Volcanoes National Park, located in the Northwest, above Lake Kivu, protects "more than half the world's population of the charismatic mountain gorilla."

Volcanoes National Park, sometimes referred to by it's French name, Parc Des Volcans, has been featured prominently in popular culture.

In 1987, Canadian author and conservationist Farley Mowat published two books about Dian Fossey, the researcher who spent more than 18 years in the park with Rwanda's mountain gorillas.

Virunga: The Passion of Dian Fossey and Woman in the Mists: The story of Dian Fossey both received critical acclaim.

Fossey's story was also adapted for the 1988 film, Gorilla's in the Mist.

Past participants in the Rwanda Initiative tell me the gorillas are not to be missed but I will have to see if I can afford it. Apparently, gorilla tracking safaris are quite expensive, between $500-$1000 (CDN) though I am told there are student rates.

It seems like something worthwhile so I'll figure something out.

In the meantime, I am going to try streaming Gorilla's in the Mist to spite the rain.

DID YOU KNOW?

• There are only 786 mountain gorillas left in the world.
  
  
  
• Humans and gorillas are 98% genetically identical.
  
  
  
• Male silverback gorillas can weigh 50-100 pounds more - and are about 10 times stronger - than the biggest American football players.
  
  
  
• When the group is attacked by humans, leopards, or other gorillas, the silverback will protect them even at the cost of his own life.

Source: African Wildlife Foundation