0:00:10.300,0:00:14.150
>>DAVID NIVEN: 8,000 feet up in the rainforest[br]of Zaire.

0:00:14.150,0:00:17.420
A man called Adrien Deschryver searches for[br]the animals

0:00:17.420,0:00:19.830
who have become his driving force in life,

0:00:19.830,0:00:21.930
as well as his constant companions.

0:00:21.930,0:00:29.619
The creatures he seeks are possibly the ones[br]that man finds the most imposing on Earth.

0:00:29.620,0:00:33.320
The reason is obvious, they so closely resemble[br]himself.

0:00:35.840,0:00:39.280
[branches rustle]

0:00:41.240,0:00:44.300
They're extremely shy and the dense undergrowth[br]in which they live

0:00:44.300,0:00:47.900
makes observation appallingly difficult.

0:00:54.500,0:00:57.079
They can also be extremely intimidating.

0:00:57.080,0:01:00.370
Though, aggressiveness is not their true nature.

0:01:03.360,0:01:07.500
[GORILLA HOWLING, BRANCHES SNAPPING]

0:01:09.920,0:01:13.040
[howling continues]

0:01:14.400,0:01:16.360
>>VOICE 2: Come, come, come, come, come.

0:01:16.360,0:01:19.960
>>DAVID NIVEN: Deschryver took four years[br]to get gorillas to accept him,

0:01:19.960,0:01:23.180
even though some of the adult males still[br]charged him.

0:01:24.320,0:01:27.720
[GORILLA HOWLING]

0:01:27.720,0:01:29.600
[DESCHRYVER SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE]

0:01:29.740,0:01:35.120
[gorilla howling]

0:01:37.120,0:01:39.720
[gorilla huffs]

0:01:40.460,0:01:43.140
[Deschryver speaking foreign language]

0:01:46.540,0:01:48.360
[gorilla howls]

0:01:49.940,0:01:54.320
>>DAVID NIVEN: This is the story of an extraordinary[br]man, Adrien Deschryver,

0:01:54.320,0:01:57.670
and his fight to save one of the last populations[br]on Earth

0:01:57.670,0:01:59.710
of one of the rarest animals on Earth,

0:01:59.710,0:02:01.740
the mountain gorilla.

0:02:01.800,0:02:08.020
[GORILLA HOWING]

0:02:08.820,0:02:13.320
[gorilla howling]

0:02:14.700,0:02:19.480
Adrien Deschryver stands firm when faced with[br]a charge of a fully grown male gorilla.

0:02:19.480,0:02:25.140
This is because he understands not only gorillas[br]in general but this particular animal.

0:02:29.780,0:02:32.220
Their nature is not all as legend insists.

0:02:32.220,0:02:35.950
The strip cartoon image is of a blood thirsty[br]creature

0:02:35.950,0:02:39.630
who embodies the Mr. Hyde side of man's own[br]nature.

0:02:39.630,0:02:44.340
The horror aspect was emphasized by King Kong[br]and later by the monster called Konga.

0:02:44.340,0:02:47.280
âŞ

0:02:59.960,0:03:02.560
>>DAVID NIVEN: Both Kong and Konga were about[br]thirty feet tall,

0:03:02.560,0:03:07.940
and although they had a kinder side to their[br]natures, they were essentially horrific.

0:03:08.060,0:03:10.460
[kong growls]

0:03:11.420,0:03:14.000
How true are the legends about the great ape

0:03:14.010,0:03:18.560
who fascinates man by constantly reminding[br]him of his own primeval origins?

0:03:18.560,0:03:23.540
Well, to begin with, the gorilla is astonishingly[br]human-looking.

0:03:25.520,0:03:28.970
Everything written about his great strength[br]is true too.

0:03:28.970,0:03:36.020
The muscles that can snap a four inch bamboo[br]like a twig could pull a man apart.

0:03:37.500,0:03:42.640
The gorilla does beat its breast, though not[br]for the reasons usually ascribed to it.

0:03:42.640,0:03:46.800
[GORILLA THUMPING CHEST, HOWLING]

0:03:47.200,0:03:51.480
The males put on one of the most terrifying[br]demonstrations in the animal kingdom

0:03:51.480,0:03:53.300
but only when they feel threatened.

0:03:54.460,0:03:56.900
But all of this is only part of the story.

0:03:56.900,0:04:00.770
Until recently, very little has been known[br]of the other,

0:04:00.770,0:04:03.630
gentler family side of the gorilla's life.

0:04:03.630,0:04:07.160
Largely because of the difficulty of studying[br]these peaceful vegetarians

0:04:07.160,0:04:09.780
in the inaccessible forests in which they[br]live.

0:04:12.860,0:04:14.060
[gorilla growls]

0:04:18.640,0:04:22.880
The vast nation of Zaire, the former Congo[br]in central Africa,

0:04:22.880,0:04:28.720
contains small, isolated pockets in which[br]live the few thousand remaining mountain gorillas.

0:04:28.729,0:04:34.300
They're scattered over an area 300 miles long[br]by 200 miles wide.

0:04:34.300,0:04:36.590
One such concentration exists in the mountains

0:04:36.590,0:04:40.040
to the northwest of Bukavu on the Rwanda-Zaire[br]border.

0:04:48.560,0:04:55.420
The twin peaks of Kahuzi and Biega tower above[br]Lake Kivu in the western rift valley.

0:04:58.020,0:05:01.139
The peaks, themselves, are bare volcanic rock.

0:05:01.139,0:05:04.080
Their lower slopes, heavily forested,

0:05:04.080,0:05:09.279
making ideal habitat for the largest of the[br]great apes, the mountain gorilla.

0:05:11.580,0:05:15.840
The forests are humid and rich in the herbs[br]and vines the gorillas prefer.

0:05:19.720,0:05:23.080
The forests start at around 6,000 feet.

0:05:23.080,0:05:26.680
Below that the fertile land has been cleared[br]for cultivation.

0:05:27.900,0:05:29.500
Once inside the trees,

0:05:29.509,0:05:34.080
you're in a world that the layman would call[br]jungle and the scientist rainforest.

0:05:34.080,0:05:39.879
It's lush, dark, and smells richly of wet[br]Earth and forest herbs.

0:05:42.300,0:05:46.960
Only the hum of insects and the cry of an[br]occasional turaco breaks the silence.

0:05:59.460,0:06:05.000
Concealed in the 600 square kilometers of[br]Kahuzi-Biega National Park are, perhaps,

0:06:05.009,0:06:08.819
250 mountain gorillas, some of the last in[br]their species.

0:06:08.819,0:06:11.589
The world they inhabit beneath the canopy[br]of the trees

0:06:11.589,0:06:14.560
is one of undisturbed primordial peace.

0:06:14.580,0:06:26.980
[repeated gun shots]

0:06:26.980,0:06:31.819
>>DAVID NIVEN: Adrien Deschryver, sometime[br]hunter, survivor of a bloody civil war,

0:06:31.819,0:06:37.460
is best described as a man of peace even though[br]one violent part of his life made him otherwise.

0:06:37.460,0:06:41.099
A Belgian with plantations on the slopes of[br]Mount Kahuzi,

0:06:41.099,0:06:44.189
he survived the terrible Kongo fighting of[br]the early 1960's,

0:06:44.189,0:06:48.280
though, he saw his farm and home burnt to[br]the ground.

0:06:52.680,0:06:57.020
Deschryver is a man of great gentleness and[br]few unnecessary words.

0:06:57.020,0:06:59.830
He's also a man of deadly action when necessary.

0:06:59.830,0:07:05.990
During the fighting, he evacuated his family[br]safely across Lake Kivu by dugout canoe.

0:07:05.990,0:07:10.119
At one point he captured 300 raiding Simba[br]rebels single-handed

0:07:10.119,0:07:17.000
with a jeep and heavy machine gun but none[br]of this saved his property from destruction.

0:07:29.300,0:07:33.759
Nowadays he seldom visits the ruins of his[br]former home but when he does so,

0:07:33.759,0:07:38.110
he climbs the tower and remembers the six[br]months his family lived inside it

0:07:38.110,0:07:45.000
with a machinegun trained on the surrounding[br]bush from which the attack might come at any time.

0:08:06.880,0:08:11.700
When peace returned to Zaire in 1965 Deschryver[br]had had enough

0:08:15.740,0:08:17.700
to last several life times.

0:08:23.500,0:08:28.440
Now all he wanted to do was preserve the peace[br]of the forests around his property

0:08:28.440,0:08:32.380
and above all peace of the great animal rarities[br]who were lords of that forest,

0:08:32.500,0:08:34.320
the mountain gorillas.

0:08:37.480,0:08:38.600
[gorilla howls]

0:08:39.659,0:08:40.780
[gorilla howls]

0:08:43.679,0:08:47.380
As a former hunter, he knew the value of local[br]trackers.

0:08:47.389,0:08:53.060
He knew, too, that these trackers had previously[br]been the most successful gorilla poachers.

0:08:53.060,0:08:57.140
So, on the principal that the best poachers[br]make the best gamekeepers

0:08:57.140,0:09:02.940
he enlisted their help in trying to make contact[br]with at least some of the gorilla groups.

0:09:05.900,0:09:08.560
[TREES SNAPPING]

0:09:12.300,0:09:13.820
[snapping continues]

0:09:18.060,0:09:19.260
[tress snapping]

0:09:21.440,0:09:25.740
They kept at it day after day learning a little[br]more each time

0:09:25.740,0:09:29.500
about the movements and the habits of the[br]gorilla families.

0:09:40.620,0:09:45.200
[GORILLA HOWLING]

0:09:47.900,0:09:49.820
[indistinct conversation]

0:09:52.640,0:09:58.620
>>DAVID NIVEN: This initial phase took Deschryver[br]nearly four years.

0:09:58.620,0:10:03.791
At the end of that time one or two families[br]seemed willing to let him approach and study them

0:10:03.800,0:10:06.980
though they were still very shy of revealing[br]themselves in the open.

0:10:07.620,0:10:08.600
[gorilla growls]

0:10:20.960,0:10:28.240
One trick that he adopted early on was that[br]to reassure a gorilla that you meant him no harm,

0:10:28.240,0:10:30.920
he ate whatever the gorilla was eating.

0:10:30.920,0:10:35.379
Deschryver believes that an eating gorilla[br]is one that comes in peace.

0:10:35.380,0:10:41.000
As far as the gorillas are concerned the same[br]apparently goes for their distant relative.

0:10:49.960,0:10:54.940
At the end of four years Deschryver had begun[br]to understand the ways of the gorilla.

0:10:54.940,0:11:00.520
Today he freely studies the daily lives of[br]several families and of one family in particular.

0:11:00.520,0:11:05.380
The one dominated by a superb silver-backed[br]male whom he calls Kasimir.

0:11:05.400,0:11:07.180
[GORILLA NOISES]

0:11:07.800,0:11:13.500
We meet Kasimir as he is making up his mind[br]to cross a road that cuts through the park.

0:11:13.500,0:11:16.220
[TREE SNAPPING]

0:11:18.900,0:11:24.160
Deschryver waits silently with his chief trackers,[br]Mishebere and Pili Pili.

0:11:24.160,0:11:29.820
He's been able to anticipate Kasimir's intentions[br]but now he talks to him by way of reassurance.

0:11:30.480,0:11:32.160
>>DESCHRYVER: Come, come, come, come, come,[br]come, come.

0:11:33.660,0:11:35.500
[SOUND OF A TREE BRANCH FALLING]

0:11:37.100,0:11:38.620
[GORILLA HOWL]

0:11:39.740,0:11:42.339
>>DESCHRYVER: Come, come, come, come, come,[br]come, come, come.

0:11:44.460,0:11:45.880
>>DAVID NIVEN: Gorilla's don't like the trackers

0:11:45.889,0:11:48.519
perhaps because they associate them with earlier[br]hunting

0:11:48.519,0:11:51.889
and the trackers don't care much for the gorillas[br]either.

0:11:51.889,0:11:56.880
So when gorillas are close his trackers sit[br]well behind Adrien.

0:11:58.380,0:11:59.760
[TREE BRANCH SNAPPING]

0:12:09.000,0:12:11.440
>>DESCHRYVER: Come, come, come, come, come,[br]come, come, come.

0:12:14.660,0:12:16.200
[GORILLA HOWLING]

0:12:16.200,0:12:18.439
>>DAVID NIVEN: Kasimir is responsible for[br]the safety of his family

0:12:18.439,0:12:22.089
so he is understandably cautious about crossing[br]a road

0:12:22.089,0:12:25.160
that has been recently been made through his[br]home range.

0:12:28.660,0:12:34.440
[GORILLA SCREECHES]

0:12:35.280,0:12:41.040
>>DAVID NIVEN: Kasimir comes out first and[br]stands guard all 450 pounds of him.

0:12:45.120,0:12:49.000
Then come the females and the young.

0:12:51.720,0:12:52.920
[gorilla growls]

0:12:54.520,0:12:57.300
The first three are safely up the bank on[br]the far side.

0:13:01.820,0:13:04.640
Next a mother and two young.

0:13:06.240,0:13:08.100
[branches rustle]

0:13:11.740,0:13:19.000
Satisfied that the coast is clear Kasimir[br]is content to hand over guard duties to his subordinate male.

0:13:22.360,0:13:25.180
The second female that is crossing is called[br]Broken Arm.

0:13:25.190,0:13:32.000
Finally the rear guard, the second rank males,[br]first Hannibal.

0:13:36.560,0:13:41.540
Then a gorilla named after a tracker whose[br]mouth is always open, Musha Romina.

0:13:41.540,0:13:43.620
[GORILLA GRUNTS]

0:13:47.540,0:13:50.860
>>DAVID NIVEN: Kasimir takes his family of[br]nineteen up the bank

0:13:50.870,0:13:53.920
to be swallowed by the forest once more.

0:13:53.920,0:13:59.000
It is Kasimir's family with whom Deschryver[br]has a close day-to-day relationship with.

0:13:59.000,0:14:00.440
[branches break]

0:14:11.240,0:14:13.600
A gorilla's day starts just after dawn.

0:14:13.610,0:14:17.160
The whole day is governed by the need to eat.

0:14:17.160,0:14:20.540
Kahuzi-Biega provides rich feeding much of[br]it at ground level.

0:14:26.140,0:14:29.600
The small animals, young males, females, infants,

0:14:29.600,0:14:34.420
sometimes spend their night in the trees building[br]well-made nests there.

0:14:34.420,0:14:37.000
The larger animals build their nests on the[br]ground.

0:14:40.140,0:14:41.340
[gorilla growls]

0:14:46.500,0:14:50.980
The senior male Kasimir leaves the family[br]from the nest's side.

0:14:50.990,0:14:54.850
He knows the general direction he intends[br]to take them in search of food.

0:14:54.850,0:15:00.000
During the day they'll cover anything up to[br]two miles seldom more.

0:15:17.010,0:15:22.699
Shortly after dawn one of the trackers has[br]watched to see which way the gorillas are moving.

0:15:22.700,0:15:27.940
Soon head tracker, Mishebere, and Deschryver[br]arrive at the nest's side.

0:15:32.240,0:15:37.200
The condition of the nest tells them how long[br]it is since the gorillas got out of bed.

0:15:37.200,0:15:42.200
Mishebere produces a loose bunch of gorilla[br]hair from a silver-back. It's Kasimir's.

0:15:52.020,0:15:55.660
When they're traveling gorillas move in single[br]file.

0:15:55.720,0:15:59.120
The trail will be harder to follow later when[br]they spread out to feed.

0:15:59.380,0:16:03.360
There are rotten logs to be crossed, jagged[br]needles to be avoided,

0:16:03.360,0:16:05.800
vines and creepers to be cut and parted.

0:16:05.800,0:16:09.360
Sometimes the approach takes hours even though[br]torn chutes

0:16:09.380,0:16:13.740
and nibbled leaves show that the gorillas[br]are only a short distance ahead.

0:16:14.700,0:16:18.420
Until they're close Mishebere leads cutting[br]a trail with his Panga.

0:16:18.420,0:16:21.740
[Mishebere cuts branches]

0:16:21.740,0:16:23.140
[gorilla barks]

0:16:23.140,0:16:25.400
Often the gorillas are heard long before they're[br]seen.

0:16:25.400,0:16:26.640
[gorilla barks]

0:16:33.760,0:16:36.780
If they are uneasy they often beat their breasts.

0:16:36.940,0:16:38.940
[gorillas beat their chests]

0:16:42.640,0:16:45.460
The noise is made by hitting the cupped hand[br]on the chest

0:16:45.460,0:16:48.480
[rapid beats]

0:16:51.960,0:16:56.300
It's not aggression as many people suppose[br]but a gorilla's way of releasing tension

0:16:56.300,0:16:59.740
like you or I scratching our head, humming,[br]or lighting a cigarette.

0:17:02.820,0:17:04.640
[trees rustling]

0:17:04.980,0:17:11.040
If they're feeding on a banana tree the sound[br]of tearing leaves can be heard hundreds of yards away.

0:17:11.780,0:17:14.260
[trees rustling and leaves tearing]

0:17:16.119,0:17:21.480
The whole family under Kasimir's leadership[br]has halted to demolish one particular tree.

0:17:21.480,0:17:24.300
Kasimir scoops out the soft bitter pulp.

0:17:24.300,0:17:28.000
It's not the best part but it's full of moisture[br]and he needs a drink.

0:17:28.920,0:17:32.920
The females at the foot of the tree get the[br]most succulent portions

0:17:32.920,0:17:35.660
but that's only because Kasimir doesn't want[br]them at the moment.

0:17:39.060,0:17:43.380
The entire family may spend up to half an[br]hour disposing of this single tree.

0:17:43.380,0:17:50.670
It's only one item on the menu in their twelve hour day most of which will be spent eating, eating, eating.

0:17:50.670,0:17:54.290
It's been estimated that an adult male gorilla[br]disposes of sixty pounds

0:17:54.290,0:17:59.000
of food or vegetable matter every single day[br]of his life.

0:17:59.020,0:18:02.620
[leaves tearing]

0:18:08.960,0:18:12.200
[leaves tearing and squeaking]

0:18:20.160,0:18:22.520
[gorilla crunches leaves]

0:18:43.200,0:18:48.620
>>NIVEN: By the time Kasimir decides to move[br]on there's very little of the banana tree left.

0:18:48.620,0:18:52.840
Deschryver maintains that Kasimir is an excellent[br]conservationist.

0:18:52.840,0:18:56.820
His family seems to wreck one banana tree[br]at a time.

0:19:02.800,0:19:05.940
As Mishebere and Deschryver follow once more

0:19:05.940,0:19:10.280
they pass the remains of Kasimir's previous[br]banana tree snacks.

0:19:12.660,0:19:15.520
A third tree has been left untouched for the[br]future.

0:19:17.900,0:19:20.380
Gorillas are highly selective feeders.

0:19:20.380,0:19:25.320
They appear to know just what plants they[br]want at any given time of the day and season.

0:19:25.320,0:19:27.640
They have a large selection to choose from.

0:19:27.640,0:19:31.880
A list of over 200 food plants has already[br]been compiled.

0:19:31.880,0:19:38.000
Next on this day's menu is a clinging weed[br]called galium or bedstraw.

0:19:38.880,0:19:41.160
[Plants snapping]

0:19:49.400,0:19:52.980
Once again using his eating mime to approach[br]Kasimir

0:19:52.980,0:19:57.500
Deschryver studies the great ape's technique[br]for dealing with this troublesome weed.

0:19:57.500,0:20:02.380
The leaves of galium are armed with little[br]hooks which make it difficult to handle.

0:20:02.380,0:20:07.800
To get around this minor inconvenience Kasimir[br]rolls it up before swallowing.

0:20:08.840,0:20:10.880
[Crunching of plants]

0:20:14.660,0:20:19.440
After years of contact it appears that Kasimir[br]actually likes to meet Deschryver

0:20:19.440,0:20:22.900
and always chooses an open space in which[br]to do so.

0:20:22.900,0:20:25.380
In the open he no longer charges him.

0:20:25.380,0:20:30.050
Just the same Deschryver often takes ten minutes[br]of cautious step-by-step approach

0:20:30.050,0:20:33.100
to get as close as this.

0:20:35.740,0:20:39.400
Hannibal is number three male not yet silver-backed

0:20:39.400,0:20:42.820
you can always recognize him by his down-turned[br]mouth.

0:20:42.820,0:20:46.130
He is an inquisitive animal and lately Deschryver[br]has been able to approach him

0:20:46.130,0:20:48.660
even more closely than Kasimir.

0:20:52.580,0:20:56.640
What follows is an incredible scene because[br]this time it seems to be Hannibal

0:20:56.640,0:21:02.900
who wishes to make contact with Deschryver[br]though at first the gorilla plays hard to get.

0:21:06.600,0:21:08.280
[Gorilla grunts]

0:21:10.020,0:21:13.760
Deschryver senses that something unusual is[br]going to happen.

0:21:22.500,0:21:26.220
[Gorilla pounding chest]

0:21:28.400,0:21:29.680
[Gorilla shouting]

0:21:29.680,0:21:31.440
>>DESCHRYVER: Come, come, come, come, come,[br]come, come, come.

0:21:31.440,0:21:42.220
>>DESCHRYVER: [speaking in French]

0:21:42.420,0:21:48.040
>>NIVEN: Hannibal is reassured and settles[br]down again only feet away.

0:21:48.780,0:21:50.540
[Birds chirping]

0:22:13.080,0:22:20.080
But Deschryver is still certain something[br]tremendous is going to happen and suddenly it does.

0:22:20.260,0:22:23.740
[Gorilla shouting fiercely]

0:22:24.040,0:22:28.480
Was this aggression or a desire to make contact?

0:22:31.580,0:22:34.960
Deschryver was totally unhurt as action replay[br]shows.

0:22:34.960,0:22:37.020
[KISSY NOISES]

0:22:37.100,0:22:40.740
[Gorilla roaring]

0:22:42.020,0:22:46.200
>>NIVEN: The blow from that huge fist never[br]actually landed.

0:22:46.200,0:22:49.360
The right hand simply pulled out the shirt.

0:22:49.360,0:22:51.280
[Gorilla roars]

0:22:51.280,0:22:53.680
Hannibal has never tried to repeat that performance.

0:22:53.680,0:22:55.510
Possibly once was enough for him.

0:22:55.510,0:22:57.880
It certainly was for Deschryver.

0:23:02.000,0:23:07.420
At mid-day the gorillas seek thicker cover[br]and Deschryver once again follows them.

0:23:07.420,0:23:12.320
They've been eating continuously since they[br]arose from their nests just after dawn.

0:23:12.320,0:23:16.220
Now the gorillas take a lunch break, or rather[br]a non-lunch break.

0:23:16.220,0:23:20.290
For up to two hours each day they relax and[br]stop eating,

0:23:20.290,0:23:25.500
presumably to digest the huge intake of the[br]morning.

0:23:39.600,0:23:42.540
Complete peace falls over the forest.

0:23:42.540,0:23:46.350
The sound of crashing branches and rending[br]leaves stops.

0:23:46.350,0:23:52.900
During this siesta period the gorillas groom[br]and relax.

0:23:55.560,0:23:57.480
[Crunching of plants]

0:24:16.380,0:24:20.820
Towards the end of the lunchtime break there's[br]sometimes a disturbance.

0:24:20.820,0:24:25.220
The youngsters grow restless while like human[br]children after a picnic.

0:24:25.220,0:24:29.360
With the indulgence of their seniors they[br]take part in play fights.

0:24:29.360,0:24:32.120
The midday halt is the only time they can[br]do this

0:24:32.120,0:24:38.480
without getting left behind by the constantly[br]moving family.

0:24:38.480,0:24:48.000
[NOISES OF THE THICKET BEING DISTURBED AND[br]CHIRPING SOUNDS COMING FROM THE GORILLAS]

0:25:30.680,0:25:33.900
>>NIVEN: Deschryver observes the same lunch[br]time pause.

0:25:33.900,0:25:37.580
His field craft and knowledge of gorilla habits[br]often enables him

0:25:37.590,0:25:41.110
to anticipate the next stopping place along[br]their intended route

0:25:41.110,0:25:43.020
and he waits for them there.

0:25:43.020,0:25:47.240
They climb up into the trees for their first[br]feed of the afternoon.

0:25:47.240,0:25:52.400
What they're after is a parasitic growth rather[br]like mistletoe.

0:25:52.400,0:25:56.600
[BRANCHES CRACKLING AND GORILLAS CHEWING]

0:26:35.000,0:26:37.900
>>NIVEN: Previous observation of gorillas[br]in more open country

0:26:37.900,0:26:41.800
has suggested that they were cautious and[br]rather clumsy climbers.

0:26:41.800,0:26:46.460
In the forest of Kahuzi where there are plenty[br]of large trees to bare their weight

0:26:46.460,0:26:49.900
they show themselves to be extraordinarily[br]agile.

0:26:59.660,0:27:03.700
[Foliage crunching]

0:27:11.500,0:27:13.140
They move on again.

0:27:13.180,0:27:16.000
There's still three good feeding hours left.

0:27:16.000,0:27:18.720
Their chosen route is taking them towards[br]the edge of the park

0:27:18.720,0:27:21.670
where the trees end and the farm land begins.

0:27:21.670,0:27:25.820
Kasimir clearly has a definite objective in[br]mind.

0:27:29.060,0:27:33.100
It's very rarely that the whole group emerges[br]into the open together

0:27:33.100,0:27:37.400
but that's what they do now on a track at[br]the border of the park.

0:27:37.400,0:27:42.260
So here assembling for their portrait is Kasimir's[br]family.

0:27:42.260,0:27:45.840
The young male Fred escorts a female.

0:27:45.840,0:27:48.120
The difference in size is very evident.

0:27:48.120,0:27:53.400
The males besides being much bigger have a[br]fatter face and a higher peaked forehead.

0:27:53.400,0:27:57.020
Fred is probably seven or eight.

0:27:57.020,0:28:01.940
This female looks pregnant in which case she's[br]probably carrying Kasimir's infant.

0:28:01.940,0:28:07.060
Kasimir has first choice of receptive females.

0:28:08.740,0:28:13.020
Though Kasimir is over twenty he's still very[br]much in command of the group.

0:28:13.020,0:28:19.680
His stately exit tells the youngsters and[br]more timid females that it's safe to cross the track.

0:28:31.060,0:28:33.180
[Gorilla growls]

0:28:34.200,0:28:37.640
Any quarreling in the gorilla group is usually[br]among the females.

0:28:37.640,0:28:40.520
Males take little notice of female temperament.

0:28:40.520,0:28:43.660
They prefer to eat in dignified silence.

0:28:47.040,0:28:48.240
[Gorilla growls]

0:28:55.860,0:29:00.480
Gorillas do a good deal of barking to warn[br]or appear aggressive.

0:29:00.480,0:29:04.600
Sometimes they give a questioning bark as[br]if to ask 'who's there?'

0:29:04.660,0:29:10.460
[Gorillas barking]

0:29:13.500,0:29:17.980
>>NIVEN: Now Hannibal and Mushamuka martial[br]the rest of the family to hurry on

0:29:17.980,0:29:21.600
in the general direction which Kasimir has[br]indicated.

0:29:22.860,0:29:24.860
[Gorillas crunching leaves]

0:29:37.260,0:29:39.680
The final objective is now reached.

0:29:39.680,0:29:43.380
A wild fruit called a bwemba is ripe for the[br]gathering.

0:29:43.390,0:29:46.390
When the bwemba season comes gorilla groups[br]make their way

0:29:46.390,0:29:50.180
to certain well-known bwemba trees and pillage[br]for ripe fruits.

0:29:50.180,0:29:54.140
First they'll clean up the fruit that has[br]fallen to the ground.

0:30:01.940,0:30:08.000
Then Kasimir leads the assault to the top-most[br]branches.

0:30:24.680,0:30:26.440
[Gorilla growls]

0:30:27.620,0:30:30.200
Mushamuka follows next.

0:30:48.320,0:30:51.500
Then come the females and younger males.

0:31:13.380,0:31:19.500
A youngster beats the branches though it's[br]hard to say why perhaps this time in play.

0:31:20.080,0:31:22.120
[Gorilla growls]

0:31:38.980,0:31:41.660
[Gorilla tapping branches]

0:31:53.250,0:31:58.320
The bwemba feast is over for the day and when[br]the family finally climbs down

0:31:58.320,0:33:14.740
each member has his mouth stuffed full of the[br]fruit.

0:33:14.740,0:33:18.300
The gorillas seldom leave the forest and trespass[br]on the farmland.

0:33:18.300,0:33:23.640
When they do so it brings them in contact[br]with the chief danger to their future: man.

0:33:23.640,0:33:26.420
This particular man is no direct threat to[br]them.

0:33:26.420,0:33:29.780
He's a simple farmer and he has every right[br]to be where he is

0:33:29.780,0:33:35.780
but as long as trees are felled and forests[br]cleared the gorillas will be on the retreat.

0:33:35.780,0:33:41.340
Now it's the African farmer who beats a retreat[br]minus his hat.

0:33:41.440,0:33:43.480
[Gorilla grunts]

0:33:47.300,0:33:52.580
The gorilla family continues unperturbed to[br]find a resting place at the end of their day.

0:33:52.580,0:33:57.340
The farmer's hat becomes an object of brief[br]curiosity.

0:34:00.740,0:34:02.260
[Gorilla barks]

0:34:11.000,0:34:13.800
>>NIVEN: After considerable scrutiny they[br]discard it.

0:34:13.800,0:34:17.900
Possibly because it's the one piece of vegetable[br]matter they've met with all that day that's

0:34:17.900,0:34:20.179
no good to eat.

0:34:26.460,0:34:30.620
Kasimir doesn't even dare to look at it as[br]he and his family move away

0:34:30.620,0:34:32.659
to a nights rest in the forest.

0:34:32.659,0:34:37.460
Tomorrow there'll be another feast of the[br]bwembas.

0:34:39.940,0:34:44.320
That African farmer's limits are clearly defined[br]by this vital piece of paper.

0:34:44.320,0:34:48.270
This letter justifies all Adrien Deschryver's[br]efforts.

0:34:48.270,0:34:54.940
In 1970 President Mobutu Sese Seko of Zaire[br]designated the Kahuzi-Biega forest

0:34:54.940,0:34:57.810
a national park for mountain gorillas.

0:34:58.520,0:35:03.640
President Mobutu has more over declared that[br]up to 15% of his country will eventually become

0:35:03.640,0:35:05.080
national park.

0:35:05.080,0:35:12.000
So the omens for the Kahuzi-Biega gorillas[br]are good although the local situation continually needs watching.

0:35:16.220,0:35:21.040
At many points tea and coffee plantations[br]march alongside the forest.

0:35:21.040,0:35:26.080
Just beyond more trees have been felled that[br]were once all part of the gorilla's range.

0:35:26.080,0:35:29.820
It's a situation which the farmers are always[br]going to try to push to the limit.

0:35:29.820,0:35:33.020
On this particular boundary encroachment has[br]been stopped.

0:35:33.020,0:35:36.040
Of the process of erosion goes on elsewhere.

0:35:36.040,0:35:41.360
In the few places gorillas still exist they're[br]continually being pushed back.

0:35:49.760,0:35:54.620
Even close to park headquarters Deschryver[br]has problems with intruding cattle.

0:35:54.620,0:35:58.640
Recently he gave the villagers three warnings[br]to get their cows out of the forest

0:35:58.640,0:36:03.400
and when this failed acting on direct orders[br]he shot quite a few head.

0:36:03.400,0:36:09.200
His trackers who have watched their traditional[br]hunting grounds in the park had a feast.

0:36:20.000,0:36:22.980
If such encroachment was not instantly checked

0:36:22.980,0:36:26.730
there'd soon be a thousand or more cattle[br]trampling and eating the vegetation

0:36:26.730,0:36:31.040
which the gorillas need for their survival[br]and their range would become even smaller.

0:36:33.320,0:36:34.860
[Cows mooing]

0:36:34.860,0:36:37.040
[DESCHRYVER SPEAKS IN FRENCH]

0:36:38.480,0:36:42.280
>>NIVEN: The point was eventually taken and[br]the locals removed their cows

0:36:42.280,0:36:45.380
at least for the moment.

0:36:45.380,0:36:50.220
Poaching gorillas for food in the remotest[br]part of the forest is a constant threat.

0:36:50.220,0:36:54.000
Deschryver has authority to shoot poachers[br]though he's never done so yet.

0:36:54.000,0:36:59.120
Even though his own brother was killed by[br]a poacher's bullet intended for him.

0:37:03.040,0:37:08.460
There is a tender side to Adrien Deschryver's[br]nature that is far from being sentimental.

0:37:08.460,0:37:12.060
This baby gorilla's parents were killed by[br]poachers.

0:37:12.060,0:37:14.580
Some farmers had adopted her.

0:37:14.580,0:37:19.680
As warden of Kahuzi-Biega park Deschryver[br]has the authority over all gorillas in Zaire

0:37:19.680,0:37:21.900
including orphans.

0:37:21.900,0:37:26.140
So he flew his own aircraft to visit the farmers[br]who had adopted this one.

0:37:26.140,0:37:29.840
Sadly he told them that they must give up[br]the young gorilla.

0:37:29.840,0:37:34.360
There are so few gorillas left in the wild[br]that it was Deschryver's duty someday

0:37:34.360,0:37:37.900
to try to return this baby to the wild state.

0:37:37.900,0:37:45.680
At the time he had no idea how or when and could not have begun to guess how the story would end.

0:37:53.200,0:37:59.820
As a start he took the mini gorilla back with[br]him to his house at Bukavu on the shores of Lake Kivu,

0:37:59.820,0:38:04.900
with the idea of teaching her some of the[br]skills she'd need in the wild.

0:38:04.900,0:38:09.950
Julie the nearest European equivalent to the[br]Swahili word nyani or gorilla

0:38:09.950,0:38:12.700
was encouraged to play with his own children.

0:38:12.700,0:38:17.200
This was not an entirely successful lesson[br]in breast beating.

0:38:26.280,0:38:33.280
To a young gorilla a bicycle offers the same[br]sort of gymnastic opportunities as a young tree.

0:38:38.560,0:38:42.900
You can cling and you can swing.

0:38:47.100,0:38:49.740
[Children laughing]

0:38:57.620,0:39:01.420
>>NIVEN: Adrien introduced her to the sort[br]of companions she might eventually meet

0:39:01.420,0:39:04.680
if he ever succeeded in releasing her into[br]the wild,

0:39:04.680,0:39:07.660
like this three-horned chameleon.

0:39:07.660,0:39:09.380
But would[br]he succeed?

0:39:09.380,0:39:14.240
There was no previous record of an orphan[br]being successfully adopted by a wild gorilla family.

0:39:15.840,0:39:23.260
[Deschryver speaking French]

0:39:32.840,0:39:34.360
[Julie grunts]

0:39:48.120,0:39:50.940
>>NIVEN: Gorillas have very little use for[br]water.

0:39:50.940,0:39:54.060
They obtain all the liquid they need from[br]the plants they eat

0:39:54.060,0:39:56.660
and they certainly never bath.

0:39:56.660,0:40:00.940
Grooming keeps their hair clean but there[br]were no gorilla adults to groom Julie

0:40:00.940,0:40:04.840
so occasionally she had to endure bath night.

0:40:05.580,0:40:06.620
[Julie grunts]

0:40:12.680,0:40:14.960
Gorillas are not known to swim.

0:40:14.960,0:40:20.340
One of the things that helps limit their natural[br]range is their inability to cross large rivers.

0:40:20.340,0:40:24.120
For an animal naturally allergic to water[br]Julie was more cooperative

0:40:24.120,0:40:28.060
than many small humans about being bathed.

0:40:30.940,0:40:33.440
She was now about six months old.

0:40:33.440,0:40:37.000
Up to six months young gorillas progress faster[br]than humans

0:40:37.000,0:40:39.950
but this was no human baby however cuddly[br]she might be

0:40:39.950,0:40:42.420
and however much she might behave like one.

0:40:42.420,0:40:45.640
Deschryver had no illusions about the choice[br]that lay ahead:

0:40:45.640,0:40:52.000
confinement in a zoo or the unknown presence[br]of confrontation with wild relatives.

0:41:01.800,0:41:07.020
Young gorillas will continue to suckle up[br]to eighteen months longer if they're given the chance.

0:41:07.020,0:41:10.880
Deschryver got his wife to bottle feed Julie

0:41:10.880,0:41:15.320
but it would be too much of a risk to hope[br]that some lactating female would adopt her

0:41:15.320,0:41:18.540
if and when she ever returned to the forest.

0:41:18.540,0:41:21.090
It's easy to get a young mammal to accept[br]bottle feeding

0:41:21.090,0:41:23.850
but far more difficult to wean it onto solids

0:41:23.850,0:41:27.540
and this had to be done as soon as possible.

0:41:30.820,0:41:31.860
[Julie grunts]

0:41:40.660,0:41:43.040
Meantime, while Julie grew in strength,

0:41:43.040,0:41:47.080
Deschryver's daily observations of gorilla[br]behavior influence continued.

0:41:47.080,0:41:51.940
It was a rainy season and now the gorillas[br]had left the bwemba trees on the border of the park

0:41:51.940,0:41:56.840
and climbed high into the bamboo forests that[br]begin at 7,500 feet.

0:41:56.840,0:42:00.480
The bamboos provide them with a great deal[br]of protein at this time of year.

0:42:00.480,0:42:03.710
For some reason the gorillas become more aggressive[br]and less approachable

0:42:03.710,0:42:05.400
in the dense bamboo woodlands.

0:42:07.240,0:42:13.640
[Bamboo rustling and gorillas grunting]

0:42:32.780,0:42:35.100
[Bamboo stretching and snapping]

0:43:40.280,0:43:43.500
>>NIVEN: Julie was constantly on Deschryver's[br]mind.

0:43:43.510,0:43:49.690
One of the things taxing him was at what age[br]if ever he should try to return her to the forest.

0:43:49.690,0:43:52.880
She could hardly hope to look after herself[br]at eighteen months old.

0:43:52.880,0:43:58.460
Above all her education had to be kept up[br]so he started carrying her into the forest

0:43:58.460,0:44:02.000
to get used to its sight, sounds, and smells.

0:44:12.820,0:44:17.040
He began to show her wild food such as choice[br]banana leaves.

0:44:20.380,0:44:22.300
[Leaves snapping]

0:44:24.000,0:44:27.320
At first she didn't seem very keen but gradually[br]she began to chew on them.

0:44:27.320,0:44:30.000
It was another great step forward.

0:44:32.360,0:44:40.000
[Deschryver speaks French while tearing banana leaves]

0:45:02.160,0:45:05.480
>>NIVEN: She was already an accomplished crawler.

0:45:11.080,0:45:15.000
As first apparent Deschryver next persuaded[br]her to crawl with him.

0:45:15.000,0:45:18.660
Just as she would with her mother when roaming[br]through the forest.

0:45:18.660,0:45:21.220
She looked to him constantly for guidance.

0:45:26.700,0:45:30.340
Deschryver confesses he became completely[br]captivated by her.

0:45:30.340,0:45:33.100
Though he remained realistic about her future.

0:45:33.100,0:45:36.760
It was no good becoming too attached to Julie[br]as warden he was committed

0:45:36.760,0:45:38.610
to returning her to the wild.

0:45:38.610,0:45:41.160
The question was when?

0:45:45.320,0:45:48.860
Deschryver had no intention of trying to reintroduce[br]her too soon.

0:45:48.860,0:45:51.820
He was prepared to wait years if necessary.

0:45:51.820,0:45:57.660
The forest was far too intimidating and the[br]behavior of gorillas too uncertain to take any chances.

0:45:57.660,0:45:59.460
[Gorilla roars]

0:46:01.060,0:46:04.440
>>NIVEN: What now follows was completely unplanned.

0:46:04.440,0:46:08.540
One day Deschryver decided to take Julie close[br]to Kasimir's family

0:46:08.540,0:46:14.200
to let her hear and become used to the sounds[br]of wild gorillas.

0:46:29.120,0:46:32.520
Hannibal was very close and obviously agitated.

0:46:32.580,0:46:34.140
[Gorilla chirping]

0:46:39.280,0:46:42.710
Now unexpectedly Julie started to cry.

0:46:42.710,0:46:45.460
[Julie crying]

0:46:47.000,0:46:48.120
[Gorilla barks]

0:46:48.180,0:46:50.520
>>NIVEN: Even Deschryver began to get alarmed.

0:46:50.520,0:46:53.080
There was no way he could retreat the gorillas[br]were all around.

0:46:53.080,0:46:56.360
[Animal chirping]

0:47:00.720,0:47:02.360
[Gorilla barks]

0:47:05.180,0:47:06.580
[Gorilla barks]

0:47:12.180,0:47:15.420
[Animal chirping]

0:47:16.980,0:47:18.340
[Gorilla barks]

0:47:18.500,0:47:23.200
In a situation like this the group would look[br]to Kasimir for a lead.

0:47:23.200,0:47:24.300
Suddenly they got it.

0:47:24.560,0:47:27.280
[Gorilla roaring]

0:47:27.340,0:47:33.680
[Deschyver speaks French]

0:47:33.760,0:47:39.960
[Gorilla shouting]

0:47:47.400,0:47:51.180
>>NIVEN: By sheer good luck Kasimir stopped[br]in the one open space

0:47:51.180,0:47:55.000
where the rest of the family waited to inspect[br]and fondle her.

0:47:59.840,0:48:04.680
[Animal chirping]

0:48:09.640,0:48:13.980
Kasimir reappeared briefly to reassert his[br]dominance over Deschryver

0:48:13.980,0:48:17.080
whom they will regard as another gorilla leader.

0:48:17.080,0:48:23.520
Deschryver admitted afterwards that he only[br]dropped Julie on the ground because he expected to be killed by Kasimir.

0:48:23.520,0:48:26.020
The whole kidnapping happened so quickly

0:48:26.020,0:48:29.619
that it's only possible to see the details in slowed[br]up action.

0:48:29.620,0:48:35.320
[Gorillas roaring]

0:48:42.980,0:48:48.780
>>NIVEN: Kasimir scooped Julie up carried[br]her away and then suddenly dropped her.

0:48:55.060,0:48:58.680
Deschryver starts forward as if to try to[br]recover her but Kasimir

0:48:58.680,0:49:02.440
was never once taking his eyes off him charges[br]once again.

0:49:02.440,0:49:06.680
This time he successfully picks Julie up under[br]the undergrowth.

0:49:06.960,0:49:10.480
[Leaves crunching]

0:49:23.720,0:49:29.120
It was perhaps a tragedy that Kasimir took[br]matters into his own hands and kidnapped Julie.

0:49:29.120,0:49:33.240
At last unprecedented rain and cold struck[br]the mountains.

0:49:33.240,0:49:35.940
She lived for only ten days.

0:49:35.940,0:49:38.940
Had there been a nursing female in the group[br]who could have breast fed her

0:49:38.940,0:49:40.940
she might very well of survived.

0:49:40.940,0:49:47.040
But the one thing that has been proved is[br]that wild gorillas will accept orphaned young.

0:49:50.120,0:49:54.220
In creating Kahuzi-Biega National Park the[br]republic of Zaire

0:49:54.220,0:50:00.000
has undoubtedly saved one of the largest remaining[br]populations of mountain gorillas.

0:50:00.000,0:50:04.280
Adrien Deschryver is convinced that although[br]neighboring forest areas are also inhabited

0:50:04.280,0:50:07.340
by the great apes he has made his daily companions.

0:50:07.340,0:50:13.000
To establish this scientific surveys must[br]be done over a huge area of forest.

0:50:13.000,0:50:17.960
Then his task is to try to get the size of the[br]present park enlarged.

0:50:17.960,0:50:24.160
The dedication of the man is so complete that[br]he will almost certainly exceed.

0:50:24.340,0:50:26.540
[Gorilla barks]

0:50:39.100,0:50:42.380
[Insect noises]