Orphan Gorillas

Although Musanze is a small town in Rwanda, it is home to several NGOs and US based projects, totaling about 20 expatriates in the area (our B2R team has 7 of those 20). We are all neighbors and good friends. Our nearest neighbors are the MGVP group, or the Mountain Gorilla Veterinarian Project. They are the veterinarians for the famous yet endangered 700 mountain gorillas in Rwanda, Uganda, and Congo. This is the most well-known tourist attraction in Rwanda, costing around $500 to trek up a mountain and observe the gorillas in their natural habitat for one hour. Our friend Jan, the regional director of the project, has been offering to take us to see a group of orphan gorillas at the base of the mountain, a sight which few people actually get to visit. Last week we finally took her up on that offer.
For about an hour, six of our B2R team members stood on top of Jan’s safari vehicle overlooking the walled-off residence and staring in amazement as the nine orphan gorillas put on a show for the humans. These gorillas were orphaned mostly as the result of poachers in the Congo who killed their parents and stole the babies to sell at a hefty price in the “gorilla black markets”. Apparently having a gorilla as either a pet or dinner, although extremely illegal, is appealing to the flamboyantly affluent in Africa. The MGVP vets works tirelessly to perform “sting operations” to locate these stolen gorillas, give them a home in this gorilla “orphanage," and arrest the poachers.
And so these nine gorillas, ranging in ages from 3-9 years old, have lived at the bottom of the mountain away from their natural habitat almost their whole lives. Since they were taken from the wild at a young age, they were forced to become dependent upon the given care and have not been able to be reintroduced to the wild. Their caretaker leisurely lounged in the play area with them, letting the gorillas ride on his back and cradling the babies when they reached up their arms. It is uncanny how human-like they seemed, as they relaxed and cuddled with their human caretaker. As Jan called them by name, they would beat their chests and bulk up to prove to us humans how tough they were. The passion and sorrow could be heard in Jan’s voice as she shared with us about the orphans. She viewed these gorillas as true orphans, wandering through life without a family or home to call their own. And after leaving that day, we all did too. In three weeks, these gorillas will be taken from this “orphanage” they have known as their home. Some may be able to go back into the wild, but most would never survive. Most of these will go to the Congo to make their permanent home at a new Gorilla Educational Center, which will teach the locals about the importance of preserving the lives of this endangered species. Hopefully, these gorillas will not be replaced by other orphans.