Gorillas scientifically known as (family Hominidae) are regarded as the closest living relatives of humans sharing almost 98% of human DNA. Gorillas are one of the four species of great apes the other; three are chimpanzees, bonobos and orangutans. They are totally very different from monkeys for a wide range of reasons. Don’t have tails and have much larger and more developed brains, they are larger weighing to up to300 to 425 pounds, walk upright for a longer period of time, though they prefer to do so on their knuckles. Similar to humans, gorillas have 10 fingers and 10 toes, small ears on the side of their heads, 32 teeth and forward-looking eyes. And their life span is bout 53 years in captivity.

Like humans every gorilla has a sole fingerprint, they have senses very comparable to ours, including sight, smell hearing, taste, and touch. And they are very intelligent and can learn extremely complex tasks. Like all great apes, gorillas have arms that are longer than their legs and tend to walk on all four limbs at certain times a movement that is called knuckle walking. Every gorilla has a unique fingerprint just like humans. They have a distinctive body shape and their bellies are larger than their chests this is because of their swollen intestines, which are necessary to digest the very bulky and fibrous vegetation that they eat.

Although gorillas are normally described as aggressive, but if habituated they are so friendly like Uganda and Rwanda mountain gorillas can be tracked peacefully because they are habituated and can be seen in their natural habitats with out any harm caused to human. There are several species of gorillas the western lowland gorillas this subspecies are mainly found in Gabon, Cameroon, Angola, Equatorial Guinea, and Central African Republic. It’s of its kind as they split during the day and come at night to nest unlike its counterpart the Eastern gorillas which feed and move together. The western gorillas are manly threatened by humans who normally hunt them for bush meet they also have shorter hair and longer arms. The other group is the cross river gorillas scientifically known as (gorilla diehli) they are found in Nigeria and Cameroon. This kind of sub species tend to differ from their count parts as they have a different shaped skull. They are friendly and tend to live in groups led by a dominant silver-back.

Rules for tracking mountain gorillas:

For those who are planning to go for mountain gorilla trekking in Rwanda, the following information would apply

• Do not surround the gorillas but remain in a tight group.

• To reduce possible transmission of human diseases, visitors are asked to maintain a distance of 7m (about 22 feet) from the gorillas. If you are sick with a cold, flu or other contagious illness, please do not visit the gorillas.

• Flash photography is strictly forbidden
• Leave a distance of at least 5m between you and the gorillas. if they approach you move back slowly
• Do not eat or smoke with in 200m of the gorillas
• DO NOT leave rubbish in the park. Whatever you bring into the forest should be carried back out with you.

• Should you need to cough, cover your mouth and turn away from the gorillas.

• No person under 15years of age is allowed to track the gorillas
• Sometimes the gorillas charge. Follow the guides example (crouch down slowly, do not look the gorillas directly in the eyes and wait for the animals to pass). Do not attempt to run away because that will increase the risk.
• Bury all human faeces in a hole dug at least 30cm deep and ensure that it is properly filled in afterwards.
• When with the gorillas avoid making sudden movements or making loud noises
• Maximum 8 visitors per group and viewing time is limited to one hour.
• If a gorilla should charge or vocalize at you, do not be alarmed, stand still, look away from the gorilla and follow your guide’s directions