Are gorillas dangerous?

Are gorillas dangerous? : With an understanding of how gorilla trekking is done, many tourists wonder whether the mountain gorillas are dangerous and is it safe to trek gorillas. This is a question of how safe a tourist will be during their gorilla trekking safari in Uganda or Rwanda is understandable since the activity gets one into the jungle which has several other wild animals. For first time trekkers from world over the question of; are gorillas dangerous? Is frequently asked and here is a guide on what you have to know about gorilla behavior,

Africa is known for its fearsome predators and mountain gorillas are not part of them, yes they are not dangerous.  Mountain gorillas are habituated for a period that lasts about 2 years before tourists are allowed to trek it and therefore they are used to seeing humans in their habitat and do not attack. What you should be assured of is that, on a Ugandan gorilla safari or Rwanda gorilla tour there’s no possibility of you going into the jungle alone. On each gorilla trek each 8 tourists move with two armed rangers who are familiar with the gorillas and whole forest habitat. 

Being habituated it means the gorillas have been carefully exposed to human presence and have learned that humans are not a threat.  However, they are still cautious and act accordingly.  Before you get into the actual trek, ranger guides will take you through the briefing session where you are told the dos and don’ts and also taught safety precautions and what to do in case of any unpredictable circumstances. With precautions, guides and surety that the mountain gorillas have been fully habituated, you can have your gorilla trekking safari at peace. 

Can gorillas attack human beings?

You should note that gorillas are wild animals and should be considered so putting in consideration the precautions given by the rangers. In case you act in a way that is suspicious to the gorillas and they feel uneasy, they may charge and act in a way of defense.  

What triggers gorillas to act in defense include when they are surprised or threatened. Threatening them could mean beating your chest and looking into their eyes directly like you are picking up a fight. The typical response to threat by a silverback mountain gorilla includes making bluff charges by beating on their chest with aggressive sounds or running directly towards their target.  When the silverback gorilla charges towards someone in most cases it will stop just a few feet away just to wait for the target reaction.

What do you do in case a gorilla charges towards you?

In case a gorilla charges towards you what then do you do, you definitely can’t fight this massive size of a giant. The most appropriate reaction is that you crouch down slowly, look away and act casual/with no intentions of threat. In this way, they will see you as non-threatening and therefore will move away and return to their family. These are rare happening that can be avoided when you follow the rules and regulations for the trek.  

In extreme occurrences when the gorillas feel so uneasy during the trek, whether on a gorilla tour in Uganda or Rwanda gorilla trek safari, the ranger guides may be forced to end the trek before the maximum one hour spent with the gorillas comes to an end. 

Gorilla Behavior 

Gorillas are typically shy and reserved a reason as to why they are referred to as gentle giants, a description they well deserve.  Mountain gorillas are social animals with their lives centered on family. A normal typical day for a gorilla in the wild is one with play, foraging for food, taking care of the infants and protecting the family by the silverback. 

At last are gorillas dangerous? The answer is no. Gorillas are gentle giants who are easily approachable on a trek that is led by trained guides and fully habituated to the presence of water. Take these to be some human related apes that survive in the jungle. Plan your gorilla safari today with the Ugandan Gorilla Rwanda trekking experts and have that lifetime