HOW TO SURVIVE A GORILLA ATTACK
How to survive a Gorilla attack : How to survive a Gorilla attack is one of the frequently asked Question by tourists planning a Gorilla trekking safari in any of the destinations where gorilla trekking is conducted. Mountain Gorilla trekking safari is conducted in Uganda the pearl of Africa, Rwanda the land of a thousand hill and Democratic Republic of Congo which are the only destinations in the world that harbor these endangered mountain gorillas in their natural habitats within 4 different parks 2 thrilling in Uganda within Bwindi impenetrable national park which is a home to more than 50% of the entire population of mountain gorillas that still survive in the wild with over 21 habituated gorilla families available for trekking out of 50 families in the entire park.
29 families are not yet habituated and Mgahinga gorilla national park a home to only one habituated Nyakagezi gorilla family available for trekking and other 2 destinations include Volcanoes national park in Rwanda that harbors 12 habituated gorilla families for trekking and research purposes and finally Virunga national park in Democratic Republic of Congo.
All the 4 destinations offers adventurous gorilla trekking safaris and an adventurous traveler can decide to trek from both destinations though it’s as well fine to choose one of the destination one wishes to trek in depending on the costs, availability, accessibility, safety and security and many other factors.
Well, upon knowing all the destinations for gorilla trekking and choosing which destination to visit for gorilla trekking, the next step is to know how to survive a Gorilla attack keeping in mind that a Gorilla weighs about 260kgs which is an equivalent of to the weight of 4 strong men on average weight of 80kg each thus can easily overpower you in case of anything thus all you need to know is how best you survive the attack of this strongest primates.
However much Gorillas are known to be the strong primates, they are yet very peaceful unless you disturb them then they can use all their energy to protect their family members from any sort of threat and any other dangers and in defense of their members, they might end up attacking you.
This attack of gorillas on humans is a very rare act since these primates are always shy and rarely keep an eye contact with humans though it’s always crucial to know how easily to defend your several and survive the attack of mountain gorillas.
The easiest way to know that the mountain gorilla is upset is when it charges. A mountain gorilla charges immediately it detects a danger or any sort of threat to his family and it’s always the silverback that charges since he is responsible for protection of the entire family. The moment you see a gorilla hooting loudly, beating its chest, standing tall on its 2 limbs, just know that he has detected a danger and it’s high time you tried to think of how best to protect yourself from the attack otherwise you will be in trouble as the Gorilla continue to aggressively charge.
At this point ensure that you follow all the rules and regulations from your rangers for safety purposes. Below are some of the things you will do as soon as you realize that the gorilla has charged and they include;
- First and foremost, when a gorilla charges, do not panic try to stay as calm as possible.
- Try by all means not to make noise or even move as this will be a signal to the gorilla that indeed you are a threat to his family and he might in turn react.
- Slowly bow down and start walking with both your hands and legs just like a Gorilla. This shows the gorilla that you are just like him and not dangerous to his family.
- Gently start moving backwards away from the gorillas until you are on a safe distance then you can now walk normally and exit the habitat of gorillas.
Conclusion,
Yes it’s very important to know all the tactics to survive a Gorilla attack while in the habitat of the endangered mountain Gorillas be it in Uganda, Rwanda or Congo. This however doesn’t mean that gorillas charge all the time, No, they do charge on a rare occasion.
