Mountain gorillas: Myths : Mountain gorilla trekking is one of the popular safari activities in Uganda almost 70 percent of the people that visit Uganda go for a mountain gorilla trek either in Bwindi National Park or Mgahinga national park. Most of the trekkers are enthusiasts and curious about the gorillas and everything about them. Before trekking some trekkers can read up on the gorillas or get familiar with the gorillas, however some information about the gorillas that is out there is not right or is not the right information of gorillas.
In this article we want to highlight some of the myths people have read or think about the gorillas.
- Gorillas eat humans
This is a lie, mountain gorillas don’t eat humans or other animals, and they are herbivores so they feed on leaves, fruits, stems, shrubs and other food from the natural vegetation. They don’t eat people.
Though you should note the myth come from the way gorillas fight humans – when a gorilla fights you it will trample you and tear you but will not eat you.
- Gorillas are rough
Gorillas are the gentlest animals in the wild, they are caring, loving, social, kind and very peaceful. They are not rough at all, not with each other or even with people.
This myths come still from the way the gorillas fight, when a gorilla is angry especially a silverback, it will fight with all its might hence looking rough but it’s not rough.
Gorillas are strong animals though, they are not rough but quite strong and take up war on their own, and also when they fight they fight until their opponent dies.
- Gorillas are bigger chimpanzees
Gorillas and chimpanzees are all primates and both share DNA with humans, but Gorillas are totally different from chimpanzees. These primates are different in appearance, behavior and habitat. The chimpanzee have large ears on the side of the heads more like human beings while gorillas have ears at the back of the skull. Also the gorilla face is black the chimp face has a brownish color.
In that terms of behavior the chimpanzees are more social yet more chaotic on the other hand the gorillas are peaceful.
In terms of habitats, the gorillas live in high altitudes, yet the chimps live in lower altitudes though they all live in forests.
So gorillas are not bigger chimps, they are two different species of primates.
- Gorilla blood heals
This myth is the reason people hunt gorillas, thinking when they take the gorilla blood it will heal them of their ailments. Well there is no scientific proof that the gorilla blood has ever healed anyone or any disease. This is a lie and it should stop.
These four are the common myths about the mountain gorillas but they could be more, so be careful when finding information about the gorillas.
That said you can enjoy the presence of the mountain gorillas on a mountain gorilla trekking safari to either Bwindi National Park or Mgahinga National Park. You can trek these apes any day of the week for as long as you have secured a permit for that particular trek. Mountain gorilla trekking permit cost 700 USD and valid for one trek for one person.
