A baby mountain gorilla at Volcanoes Park in Rwanda. The infants are tiny and their parents are protective.

By John Bordsen

The Volcanoes Park spans over a 160sqkm area in the northern part of Rwanda, popular for its gorilla trekking.
Home to Mountain Gorilla, golden monkeys, Spotted Hyena, buffaloes, elephants, black-fronted duiker, and bushbuck, the park also harbours 178 bird species including at least 29 endemics to Rwenzori mountains and the Virungas.
Currently, there are ten habituated gorilla groups open to tourists, allowing for a total of 80 permits per day.
Emmanuel Harerimana, 29, is a guideranger at Volcanoes Park. Harerimana, who is from an area near the park, has been a ranger there for 3.5 years.
Here is how it is to live in a far-off place most of us see only on a vacation:

Q. A big attraction at your park is seeing mountain gorillas. How many are there?
A. Rwanda had 300 mountain gorillas that are regularly visited by tourists and researchers in Volcanoes National Park. They are all found in 18 gorilla families. We take tourists to 10 different groups every day.

Q. People come to see free-ranging gorillas. How do you know where they will be?
A. We have a team of trackers operating from 7am to 3pm; they’ll have a good idea where the mountain gorillas passed the night. That gives us an idea of where the gorilla groups will be.
Q. How large are these gorilla groups?
A. They consist of families and friends. Some groups have 20 or 25 members, but the average is 12. There are groups of just two or three, but we don’t take the tourists to see them.

Q. How close can people get to mountain gorillas?
A. We try to keep them 7 metres away.

Q. That’s 23 feet — and those are large and powerful wild animals. How dangerous are they
A. They’re safe. I come from this area, and have been around them since I was 4. They’re really peaceful and gentle animals unless threatened; like any wild animal, they would try to defend themselves.
The juveniles, mothers and silverbacks (mature males) are different sizes. The silverback has a length of up to 1.7 metres. They can weigh 100 to 120 kilos — about 250 pounds. Moms are 90 to 150 kilos — up to nearly 330 pounds. The babies are really tiny.

Q. Are mountain gorillas more friendly or agitated at certain times of year?
A. I’m with them every day. They don’t mind any season. The seasons are the same around here.

Q. So when you’re looking for mountain gorillas, how can you tell if you’re getting near them?
A. You can see tracks and hear them. Most of the time you can hear silverbacks breaking trees. Within 100 metres (328 feet), you can smell them easily. They have a certain smell.

Q. From your ongoing contact with them, can you tell them apart?
A. They’re all totally different and have unique marks on their noses — like the shape of a W or something. Even twins have different noses. Like humans, they’re of different sizes. Maybe they have something unique about their body — having once had a broken leg, for example.
All have different names from the naming ceremony. That used to be in June. This year, the babies will be named in September.

Q. How closely have you personally gotten to mountain gorillas?
A. Five metres, sometimes (16.4 feet). It can happen if you’ve been around them a long time. At 8 or 9 years, they’re playful and may want to play. Their parents are protective. Some groups have two or three silverbacks; one group has five silverbacks.
With a new baby, the mom is always close to the silverback, who is very strong. Silverbacks are mighty. You meet silverbacks before the others — they’re the kings of the jungle.
We will communicate with a silverback. We’ll ask him, with a low hum, “Can we join you? I’ll grunt, saying can we be here?”
We wait for his answer. He will say two or three things in a row if it’s OK, no problem. We’re safe close to those around him. If he answers with a laugh sound, that’s a warning that it’s not OK.
A male will rarely say completely no. Usually, he will eventually say its OK.

Q. How do you learn this stuff?
A. You learn to imitate what they’re saying. To get close, you must be specially trained. Locals can get close. They tell us what they’re hearing from the apes. Then you practice.

Q. Do people live inside Volcanoes National Park?
A. Today, no one does. Just the wildlife. In this park, you can find golden monkeys, which are a rare species, too. The park also has Dian Fossey’s grave; she’s the American famous for her research with mountain gorillas. She was very close to and sometimes lived with them, which was OK at the time but researchers found out later that it wasn’t wise to do that. So much depends on how well the gorillas know you — your face, your voice, your uniform. She became good friends with them.
In addition to enjoying nature walks and visiting the community activities around the park, mountain climbing is another activity one can do. We have five volcanoes and hike four of them. —The Charlotte Observer/TNS