Better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick
The forest rings with the sound of machetes. The trackers are forging a fresh path through dense vegetation, as we attempt to overtake our gorilla family without disrupting their progress. Chimanuka, the dominant silverback, is leading the family in the direction of a highway which runs through Kahuzi-Biega National Park. It is a dirt road in a bad state of repair, but it’s the main road in the region, a vital artery linking the cities of Bukavu and Goma with sources of agricultural produce in Lubumbashi. If the gorillas cross the road, we will have a unique opportunity to see the entire family out in the open. It will also give us an insight into how Chimanuka marshals his large family across such a potentially dangerous obstacle.
I turn back to our path and shout in pain. A sharp twig, cut by our guides, has stabbed the corner of my eye.David Johnson, series producer
I pause and glance round to see how we are doing. Amazingly, we are ahead of most of the gorillas. Whereas they slip effortlessly through the dense undergrowth, we lurch and stagger, boot laces and feet snagging and stumbling on roots, and our shirts, backpacks, belts and heavy camera equipment catching on unseen branches and lianas, throwing us off balance. I turn back to our path and shout in pain. A sharp twig, cut by our guides, has stabbed the corner of my eye.
It’s painful, but after a few moments, I conclude that I can still see. More importantly, the gorillas are still moving, and we must press on.
Minutes later we reach the road. We make a guess where the gorillas will emerge, and set up accordingly. Everyone is tense. There is a lot of traffic – motorcycles, cars and huge, heavy old trucks overloaded, swaying on ancient worn-out suspensions with their toppling loads of charcoal, timber, manioc and palm oil, fringed by human cargo clinging on twenty feet up. It must be tense for the gorillas too.
They have reached the edge of the road and shelter in the vegetation, waiting for an opportunity to cross. But the traffic is relentless. No sooner has one truck rumbled off than another heaves ponderously into view. Small motorbike taxis bounce past, their 2 passengers clinging on for dear life behind the rider.
Eventually Chief Guide Lambert halts a lorry, and all the traffic stops. The road is suddenly quiet, and guides, passengers and film crew watch in awe as Chimanuka steps out into the middle of the road. He stands in the middle, his massive size dominating the road as his family stream from one verge to the other. Despite the large human audience, it’s clear who’s in charge: the colossal silverback Chimanuka. Only when the entire family is across does he break his commanding stance, and saunter off into the bushes.
The traffic is waved on. And we are able to relax. We’ve managed to capture a unique sequence for our film. Gordon follows Chimanuka into the forest, where he promptly climbs a tree to begin feeding, and I sit down and get some treatment on my eye.
