In loose chronological order we will report here about our gorilla project in Gabon.

Photographer, Max Hurdebourcq and primatologist Alexandre Barroso Pujol, professor at the University of Barcelona, have been observing since March 2008 the behavior of gorillas that are endemic to the Precious Woods Forest in Gabon. The goal of this project is to examine the interaction between primates and forestry. The team started work in March 2008. Max Hurdebourcq is keeping a diary:

First contact on trail CB2 (March 2008)
It stopped raining about noon. Rain often disrupts or erases animal tracks. Alex explained: “Be aware that gorillas do not move when it’s raining.” After walking for half an hour, the first foot prints, those of a large, solitary male: some carefully peeled wild ginger fruit and some delicately nibbled plant stems. Suddenly, the foliage moved and for a few seconds the ground shook under the weight of a fleeing “silver back.” This sudden flight behavior tells us that the zone is frequented by poachers who are hunting him for food.

The exploratory zone is rough, too fragmented, rivers that must be crossed on tree trunks, savannahs that intersect the forest. The gorillas prefer a continuous forest with an abundance of arrowroot, bushes with red berries such as large cherries. Three hundred metres from our encampment, two recently abandoned poacher camps, a shelter with a tarp, bonfires, and wooden beds.

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6:00 am, departure by car. Twenty minutes later, we found large male footprints, imprinted in the laterite. We heard the cries of a group of gorillas. Suddenly, 100 metres away, the branches moved, a “silver back” quietly crossed an elephant trail and disappeared; a female followed him closely and stopped for a few seconds to watch us. “The behavior of the ‘silver back’ is a positive sign”, Alex explained, “he let the female stop and observe us without any signs of aggression.”

We noticed that these animals prefer the secondary forest that develops after logging has taken place and which consists of young trees and low vegetation that is rich in fruits and edible leaves, such as arrowroot, to the primary forest with its giant trees. Moreover – I noticed -, the forest is richer in wild fauna in the active forestry zones than in the zones that are “quiet” but are dedicated to the unsavory activities of poachers. The passage of trucks loaded with logs and other Precious Woods/CEB vehicles assures, paradoxically, the best security.

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Departure at about 6:15 am. A few minutes later, to our great surprise, a group of… 22 nests, an absolute record! They were constructed about 700 metres from the main road where you can hear the passage of the large trucks that transport logs and other Precious Woods/CEB vehicles. The nests have been there for several weeks. It is very difficult to be more precise because their preservation depends on the weather. Only new nests with their intact green leaves can be easily dated.
Alex now has scientific evidence that this zone has a large gorilla population. 10 metres from us, to the left of the trail, the arrowroot suddenly moved. One of them left his den! We arrived carelessly and without the experience of our “trackers.” I certainly missed a good picture. We found his very green nest and it was still warm…

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My first contact with the gorillas took place on the CB2 trail last Monday. We arrived about 6:30 am. After walking for an hour the first young gorilla crossed the trail 200 metres away, we continued on quietly until we reached a fruit tree that started shaking and I saw a head between two branches that was watching us, then a second and a third! All together there were six of them plus the dominant male who stayed out of sight to watch us quietly through the trees. The behavior of the silver back was positive because he let his clan “play” with us for half an hour. I hope to start filming in the next few weeks…