1
00:00:10,300 --> 00:00:14,150
>>DAVID NIVEN: 8,000 feet up in the rainforest
of Zaire.

2
00:00:14,150 --> 00:00:17,420
A man called Adrien Deschryver searches for
the animals

3
00:00:17,420 --> 00:00:19,830
who have become his driving force in life,

4
00:00:19,830 --> 00:00:21,930
as well as his constant companions.

5
00:00:21,930 --> 00:00:29,619
The creatures he seeks are possibly the ones
that man finds the most imposing on Earth.

6
00:00:29,620 --> 00:00:33,320
The reason is obvious, they so closely resemble
himself.

7
00:00:35,840 --> 00:00:39,280
[branches rustle]

8
00:00:41,240 --> 00:00:44,300
They're extremely shy and the dense undergrowth
in which they live

9
00:00:44,300 --> 00:00:47,900
makes observation appallingly difficult.

10
00:00:54,500 --> 00:00:57,079
They can also be extremely intimidating.

11
00:00:57,080 --> 00:01:00,370
Though, aggressiveness is not their true nature.

12
00:01:03,360 --> 00:01:07,500
[GORILLA HOWLING, BRANCHES SNAPPING]

13
00:01:09,920 --> 00:01:13,040
[howling continues]

14
00:01:14,400 --> 00:01:16,360
>>VOICE 2: Come, come, come, come, come.

15
00:01:16,360 --> 00:01:19,960
>>DAVID NIVEN: Deschryver took four years
to get gorillas to accept him,

16
00:01:19,960 --> 00:01:23,180
even though some of the adult males still
charged him.

17
00:01:24,320 --> 00:01:27,720
[GORILLA HOWLING]

18
00:01:27,720 --> 00:01:29,600
[DESCHRYVER SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE]

19
00:01:29,740 --> 00:01:35,120
[gorilla howling]

20
00:01:37,120 --> 00:01:39,720
[gorilla huffs]

21
00:01:40,460 --> 00:01:43,140
[Deschryver speaking foreign language]

22
00:01:46,540 --> 00:01:48,360
[gorilla howls]

23
00:01:49,940 --> 00:01:54,320
>>DAVID NIVEN: This is the story of an extraordinary
man, Adrien Deschryver,

24
00:01:54,320 --> 00:01:57,670
and his fight to save one of the last populations
on Earth

25
00:01:57,670 --> 00:01:59,710
of one of the rarest animals on Earth,

26
00:01:59,710 --> 00:02:01,740
the mountain gorilla.

27
00:02:01,800 --> 00:02:08,020
[GORILLA HOWING]

28
00:02:08,820 --> 00:02:13,320
[gorilla howling]

29
00:02:14,700 --> 00:02:19,480
Adrien Deschryver stands firm when faced with
a charge of a fully grown male gorilla.

30
00:02:19,480 --> 00:02:25,140
This is because he understands not only gorillas
in general but this particular animal.

31
00:02:29,780 --> 00:02:32,220
Their nature is not all as legend insists.

32
00:02:32,220 --> 00:02:35,950
The strip cartoon image is of a blood thirsty
creature

33
00:02:35,950 --> 00:02:39,630
who embodies the Mr. Hyde side of man's own
nature.

34
00:02:39,630 --> 00:02:44,340
The horror aspect was emphasized by King Kong
and later by the monster called Konga.

35
00:02:44,340 --> 00:02:47,280
âŞ

36
00:02:59,960 --> 00:03:02,560
>>DAVID NIVEN: Both Kong and Konga were about
thirty feet tall,

37
00:03:02,560 --> 00:03:07,940
and although they had a kinder side to their
natures, they were essentially horrific.

38
00:03:08,060 --> 00:03:10,460
[kong growls]

39
00:03:11,420 --> 00:03:14,000
How true are the legends about the great ape

40
00:03:14,010 --> 00:03:18,560
who fascinates man by constantly reminding
him of his own primeval origins?

41
00:03:18,560 --> 00:03:23,540
Well, to begin with, the gorilla is astonishingly
human-looking.

42
00:03:25,520 --> 00:03:28,970
Everything written about his great strength
is true too.

43
00:03:28,970 --> 00:03:36,020
The muscles that can snap a four inch bamboo
like a twig could pull a man apart.

44
00:03:37,500 --> 00:03:42,640
The gorilla does beat its breast, though not
for the reasons usually ascribed to it.

45
00:03:42,640 --> 00:03:46,800
[GORILLA THUMPING CHEST, HOWLING]

46
00:03:47,200 --> 00:03:51,480
The males put on one of the most terrifying
demonstrations in the animal kingdom

47
00:03:51,480 --> 00:03:53,300
but only when they feel threatened.

48
00:03:54,460 --> 00:03:56,900
But all of this is only part of the story.

49
00:03:56,900 --> 00:04:00,770
Until recently, very little has been known
of the other,

50
00:04:00,770 --> 00:04:03,630
gentler family side of the gorilla's life.

51
00:04:03,630 --> 00:04:07,160
Largely because of the difficulty of studying
these peaceful vegetarians

52
00:04:07,160 --> 00:04:09,780
in the inaccessible forests in which they
live.

53
00:04:12,860 --> 00:04:14,060
[gorilla growls]

54
00:04:18,640 --> 00:04:22,880
The vast nation of Zaire, the former Congo
in central Africa,

55
00:04:22,880 --> 00:04:28,720
contains small, isolated pockets in which
live the few thousand remaining mountain gorillas.

56
00:04:28,729 --> 00:04:34,300
They're scattered over an area 300 miles long
by 200 miles wide.

57
00:04:34,300 --> 00:04:36,590
One such concentration exists in the mountains

58
00:04:36,590 --> 00:04:40,040
to the northwest of Bukavu on the Rwanda-Zaire
border.

59
00:04:48,560 --> 00:04:55,420
The twin peaks of Kahuzi and Biega tower above
Lake Kivu in the western rift valley.

60
00:04:58,020 --> 00:05:01,139
The peaks, themselves, are bare volcanic rock.

61
00:05:01,139 --> 00:05:04,080
Their lower slopes, heavily forested,

62
00:05:04,080 --> 00:05:09,279
making ideal habitat for the largest of the
great apes, the mountain gorilla.

63
00:05:11,580 --> 00:05:15,840
The forests are humid and rich in the herbs
and vines the gorillas prefer.

64
00:05:19,720 --> 00:05:23,080
The forests start at around 6,000 feet.

65
00:05:23,080 --> 00:05:26,680
Below that the fertile land has been cleared
for cultivation.

66
00:05:27,900 --> 00:05:29,500
Once inside the trees,

67
00:05:29,509 --> 00:05:34,080
you're in a world that the layman would call
jungle and the scientist rainforest.

68
00:05:34,080 --> 00:05:39,879
It's lush, dark, and smells richly of wet
Earth and forest herbs.

69
00:05:42,300 --> 00:05:46,960
Only the hum of insects and the cry of an
occasional turaco breaks the silence.

70
00:05:59,460 --> 00:06:05,000
Concealed in the 600 square kilometers of
Kahuzi-Biega National Park are, perhaps,

71
00:06:05,009 --> 00:06:08,819
250 mountain gorillas, some of the last in
their species.

72
00:06:08,819 --> 00:06:11,589
The world they inhabit beneath the canopy
of the trees

73
00:06:11,589 --> 00:06:14,560
is one of undisturbed primordial peace.

74
00:06:14,580 --> 00:06:26,980
[repeated gun shots]

75
00:06:26,980 --> 00:06:31,819
>>DAVID NIVEN: Adrien Deschryver, sometime
hunter, survivor of a bloody civil war,

76
00:06:31,819 --> 00:06:37,460
is best described as a man of peace even though
one violent part of his life made him otherwise.

77
00:06:37,460 --> 00:06:41,099
A Belgian with plantations on the slopes of
Mount Kahuzi,

78
00:06:41,099 --> 00:06:44,189
he survived the terrible Kongo fighting of
the early 1960's,

79
00:06:44,189 --> 00:06:48,280
though, he saw his farm and home burnt to
the ground.

80
00:06:52,680 --> 00:06:57,020
Deschryver is a man of great gentleness and
few unnecessary words.

81
00:06:57,020 --> 00:06:59,830
He's also a man of deadly action when necessary.

82
00:06:59,830 --> 00:07:05,990
During the fighting, he evacuated his family
safely across Lake Kivu by dugout canoe.

83
00:07:05,990 --> 00:07:10,119
At one point he captured 300 raiding Simba
rebels single-handed

84
00:07:10,119 --> 00:07:17,000
with a jeep and heavy machine gun but none
of this saved his property from destruction.

85
00:07:29,300 --> 00:07:33,759
Nowadays he seldom visits the ruins of his
former home but when he does so,

86
00:07:33,759 --> 00:07:38,110
he climbs the tower and remembers the six
months his family lived inside it

87
00:07:38,110 --> 00:07:45,000
with a machinegun trained on the surrounding
bush from which the attack might come at any time.

88
00:08:06,880 --> 00:08:11,700
When peace returned to Zaire in 1965 Deschryver
had had enough

89
00:08:15,740 --> 00:08:17,700
to last several life times.

90
00:08:23,500 --> 00:08:28,440
Now all he wanted to do was preserve the peace
of the forests around his property

91
00:08:28,440 --> 00:08:32,380
and above all peace of the great animal rarities
who were lords of that forest,

92
00:08:32,500 --> 00:08:34,320
the mountain gorillas.

93
00:08:37,480 --> 00:08:38,600
[gorilla howls]

94
00:08:39,659 --> 00:08:40,780
[gorilla howls]

95
00:08:43,679 --> 00:08:47,380
As a former hunter, he knew the value of local
trackers.

96
00:08:47,389 --> 00:08:53,060
He knew, too, that these trackers had previously
been the most successful gorilla poachers.

97
00:08:53,060 --> 00:08:57,140
So, on the principal that the best poachers
make the best gamekeepers

98
00:08:57,140 --> 00:09:02,940
he enlisted their help in trying to make contact
with at least some of the gorilla groups.

99
00:09:05,900 --> 00:09:08,560
[TREES SNAPPING]

100
00:09:12,300 --> 00:09:13,820
[snapping continues]

101
00:09:18,060 --> 00:09:19,260
[tress snapping]

102
00:09:21,440 --> 00:09:25,740
They kept at it day after day learning a little
more each time

103
00:09:25,740 --> 00:09:29,500
about the movements and the habits of the
gorilla families.

104
00:09:40,620 --> 00:09:45,200
[GORILLA HOWLING]

105
00:09:47,900 --> 00:09:49,820
[indistinct conversation]

106
00:09:52,640 --> 00:09:58,620
>>DAVID NIVEN: This initial phase took Deschryver
nearly four years.

107
00:09:58,620 --> 00:10:03,791
At the end of that time one or two families
seemed willing to let him approach and study them

108
00:10:03,800 --> 00:10:06,980
though they were still very shy of revealing
themselves in the open.

109
00:10:07,620 --> 00:10:08,600
[gorilla growls]

110
00:10:20,960 --> 00:10:28,240
One trick that he adopted early on was that
to reassure a gorilla that you meant him no harm,

111
00:10:28,240 --> 00:10:30,920
he ate whatever the gorilla was eating.

112
00:10:30,920 --> 00:10:35,379
Deschryver believes that an eating gorilla
is one that comes in peace.

113
00:10:35,380 --> 00:10:41,000
As far as the gorillas are concerned the same
apparently goes for their distant relative.

114
00:10:49,960 --> 00:10:54,940
At the end of four years Deschryver had begun
to understand the ways of the gorilla.

115
00:10:54,940 --> 00:11:00,520
Today he freely studies the daily lives of
several families and of one family in particular.

116
00:11:00,520 --> 00:11:05,380
The one dominated by a superb silver-backed
male whom he calls Kasimir.

117
00:11:05,400 --> 00:11:07,180
[GORILLA NOISES]

118
00:11:07,800 --> 00:11:13,500
We meet Kasimir as he is making up his mind
to cross a road that cuts through the park.

119
00:11:13,500 --> 00:11:16,220
[TREE SNAPPING]

120
00:11:18,900 --> 00:11:24,160
Deschryver waits silently with his chief trackers,
Mishebere and Pili Pili.

121
00:11:24,160 --> 00:11:29,820
He's been able to anticipate Kasimir's intentions
but now he talks to him by way of reassurance.

122
00:11:30,480 --> 00:11:32,160
>>DESCHRYVER: Come, come, come, come, come,
come, come.

123
00:11:33,660 --> 00:11:35,500
[SOUND OF A TREE BRANCH FALLING]

124
00:11:37,100 --> 00:11:38,620
[GORILLA HOWL]

125
00:11:39,740 --> 00:11:42,339
>>DESCHRYVER: Come, come, come, come, come,
come, come, come.

126
00:11:44,460 --> 00:11:45,880
>>DAVID NIVEN: Gorilla's don't like the trackers

127
00:11:45,889 --> 00:11:48,519
perhaps because they associate them with earlier
hunting

128
00:11:48,519 --> 00:11:51,889
and the trackers don't care much for the gorillas
either.

129
00:11:51,889 --> 00:11:56,880
So when gorillas are close his trackers sit
well behind Adrien.

130
00:11:58,380 --> 00:11:59,760
[TREE BRANCH SNAPPING]

131
00:12:09,000 --> 00:12:11,440
>>DESCHRYVER: Come, come, come, come, come,
come, come, come.

132
00:12:14,660 --> 00:12:16,200
[GORILLA HOWLING]

133
00:12:16,200 --> 00:12:18,439
>>DAVID NIVEN: Kasimir is responsible for
the safety of his family

134
00:12:18,439 --> 00:12:22,089
so he is understandably cautious about crossing
a road

135
00:12:22,089 --> 00:12:25,160
that has been recently been made through his
home range.

136
00:12:28,660 --> 00:12:34,440
[GORILLA SCREECHES]

137
00:12:35,280 --> 00:12:41,040
>>DAVID NIVEN: Kasimir comes out first and
stands guard all 450 pounds of him.

138
00:12:45,120 --> 00:12:49,000
Then come the females and the young.

139
00:12:51,720 --> 00:12:52,920
[gorilla growls]

140
00:12:54,520 --> 00:12:57,300
The first three are safely up the bank on
the far side.

141
00:13:01,820 --> 00:13:04,640
Next a mother and two young.

142
00:13:06,240 --> 00:13:08,100
[branches rustle]

143
00:13:11,740 --> 00:13:19,000
Satisfied that the coast is clear Kasimir
is content to hand over guard duties to his subordinate male.

144
00:13:22,360 --> 00:13:25,180
The second female that is crossing is called
Broken Arm.

145
00:13:25,190 --> 00:13:32,000
Finally the rear guard, the second rank males,
first Hannibal.

146
00:13:36,560 --> 00:13:41,540
Then a gorilla named after a tracker whose
mouth is always open, Musha Romina.

147
00:13:41,540 --> 00:13:43,620
[GORILLA GRUNTS]

148
00:13:47,540 --> 00:13:50,860
>>DAVID NIVEN: Kasimir takes his family of
nineteen up the bank

149
00:13:50,870 --> 00:13:53,920
to be swallowed by the forest once more.

150
00:13:53,920 --> 00:13:59,000
It is Kasimir's family with whom Deschryver
has a close day-to-day relationship with.

151
00:13:59,000 --> 00:14:00,440
[branches break]

152
00:14:11,240 --> 00:14:13,600
A gorilla's day starts just after dawn.

153
00:14:13,610 --> 00:14:17,160
The whole day is governed by the need to eat.

154
00:14:17,160 --> 00:14:20,540
Kahuzi-Biega provides rich feeding much of
it at ground level.

155
00:14:26,140 --> 00:14:29,600
The small animals, young males, females, infants,

156
00:14:29,600 --> 00:14:34,420
sometimes spend their night in the trees building
well-made nests there.

157
00:14:34,420 --> 00:14:37,000
The larger animals build their nests on the
ground.

158
00:14:40,140 --> 00:14:41,340
[gorilla growls]

159
00:14:46,500 --> 00:14:50,980
The senior male Kasimir leaves the family
from the nest's side.

160
00:14:50,990 --> 00:14:54,850
He knows the general direction he intends
to take them in search of food.

161
00:14:54,850 --> 00:15:00,000
During the day they'll cover anything up to
two miles seldom more.

162
00:15:17,010 --> 00:15:22,699
Shortly after dawn one of the trackers has
watched to see which way the gorillas are moving.

163
00:15:22,700 --> 00:15:27,940
Soon head tracker, Mishebere, and Deschryver
arrive at the nest's side.

164
00:15:32,240 --> 00:15:37,200
The condition of the nest tells them how long
it is since the gorillas got out of bed.

165
00:15:37,200 --> 00:15:42,200
Mishebere produces a loose bunch of gorilla
hair from a silver-back. It's Kasimir's.

166
00:15:52,020 --> 00:15:55,660
When they're traveling gorillas move in single
file.

167
00:15:55,720 --> 00:15:59,120
The trail will be harder to follow later when
they spread out to feed.

168
00:15:59,380 --> 00:16:03,360
There are rotten logs to be crossed, jagged
needles to be avoided,

169
00:16:03,360 --> 00:16:05,800
vines and creepers to be cut and parted.

170
00:16:05,800 --> 00:16:09,360
Sometimes the approach takes hours even though
torn chutes

171
00:16:09,380 --> 00:16:13,740
and nibbled leaves show that the gorillas
are only a short distance ahead.

172
00:16:14,700 --> 00:16:18,420
Until they're close Mishebere leads cutting
a trail with his Panga.

173
00:16:18,420 --> 00:16:21,740
[Mishebere cuts branches]

174
00:16:21,740 --> 00:16:23,140
[gorilla barks]

175
00:16:23,140 --> 00:16:25,400
Often the gorillas are heard long before they're
seen.

176
00:16:25,400 --> 00:16:26,640
[gorilla barks]

177
00:16:33,760 --> 00:16:36,780
If they are uneasy they often beat their breasts.

178
00:16:36,940 --> 00:16:38,940
[gorillas beat their chests]

179
00:16:42,640 --> 00:16:45,460
The noise is made by hitting the cupped hand
on the chest

180
00:16:45,460 --> 00:16:48,480
[rapid beats]

181
00:16:51,960 --> 00:16:56,300
It's not aggression as many people suppose
but a gorilla's way of releasing tension

182
00:16:56,300 --> 00:16:59,740
like you or I scratching our head, humming,
or lighting a cigarette.

183
00:17:02,820 --> 00:17:04,640
[trees rustling]

184
00:17:04,980 --> 00:17:11,040
If they're feeding on a banana tree the sound
of tearing leaves can be heard hundreds of yards away.

185
00:17:11,780 --> 00:17:14,260
[trees rustling and leaves tearing]

186
00:17:16,119 --> 00:17:21,480
The whole family under Kasimir's leadership
has halted to demolish one particular tree.

187
00:17:21,480 --> 00:17:24,300
Kasimir scoops out the soft bitter pulp.

188
00:17:24,300 --> 00:17:28,000
It's not the best part but it's full of moisture
and he needs a drink.

189
00:17:28,920 --> 00:17:32,920
The females at the foot of the tree get the
most succulent portions

190
00:17:32,920 --> 00:17:35,660
but that's only because Kasimir doesn't want
them at the moment.

191
00:17:39,060 --> 00:17:43,380
The entire family may spend up to half an
hour disposing of this single tree.

192
00:17:43,380 --> 00:17:50,670
It's only one item on the menu in their twelve hour day most of which will be spent eating, eating, eating.

193
00:17:50,670 --> 00:17:54,290
It's been estimated that an adult male gorilla
disposes of sixty pounds

194
00:17:54,290 --> 00:17:59,000
of food or vegetable matter every single day
of his life.

195
00:17:59,020 --> 00:18:02,620
[leaves tearing]

196
00:18:08,960 --> 00:18:12,200
[leaves tearing and squeaking]

197
00:18:20,160 --> 00:18:22,520
[gorilla crunches leaves]

198
00:18:43,200 --> 00:18:48,620
>>NIVEN: By the time Kasimir decides to move
on there's very little of the banana tree left.

199
00:18:48,620 --> 00:18:52,840
Deschryver maintains that Kasimir is an excellent
conservationist.

200
00:18:52,840 --> 00:18:56,820
His family seems to wreck one banana tree
at a time.

201
00:19:02,800 --> 00:19:05,940
As Mishebere and Deschryver follow once more

202
00:19:05,940 --> 00:19:10,280
they pass the remains of Kasimir's previous
banana tree snacks.

203
00:19:12,660 --> 00:19:15,520
A third tree has been left untouched for the
future.

204
00:19:17,900 --> 00:19:20,380
Gorillas are highly selective feeders.

205
00:19:20,380 --> 00:19:25,320
They appear to know just what plants they
want at any given time of the day and season.

206
00:19:25,320 --> 00:19:27,640
They have a large selection to choose from.

207
00:19:27,640 --> 00:19:31,880
A list of over 200 food plants has already
been compiled.

208
00:19:31,880 --> 00:19:38,000
Next on this day's menu is a clinging weed
called galium or bedstraw.

209
00:19:38,880 --> 00:19:41,160
[Plants snapping]

210
00:19:49,400 --> 00:19:52,980
Once again using his eating mime to approach
Kasimir

211
00:19:52,980 --> 00:19:57,500
Deschryver studies the great ape's technique
for dealing with this troublesome weed.

212
00:19:57,500 --> 00:20:02,380
The leaves of galium are armed with little
hooks which make it difficult to handle.

213
00:20:02,380 --> 00:20:07,800
To get around this minor inconvenience Kasimir
rolls it up before swallowing.

214
00:20:08,840 --> 00:20:10,880
[Crunching of plants]

215
00:20:14,660 --> 00:20:19,440
After years of contact it appears that Kasimir
actually likes to meet Deschryver

216
00:20:19,440 --> 00:20:22,900
and always chooses an open space in which
to do so.

217
00:20:22,900 --> 00:20:25,380
In the open he no longer charges him.

218
00:20:25,380 --> 00:20:30,050
Just the same Deschryver often takes ten minutes
of cautious step-by-step approach

219
00:20:30,050 --> 00:20:33,100
to get as close as this.

220
00:20:35,740 --> 00:20:39,400
Hannibal is number three male not yet silver-backed

221
00:20:39,400 --> 00:20:42,820
you can always recognize him by his down-turned
mouth.

222
00:20:42,820 --> 00:20:46,130
He is an inquisitive animal and lately Deschryver
has been able to approach him

223
00:20:46,130 --> 00:20:48,660
even more closely than Kasimir.

224
00:20:52,580 --> 00:20:56,640
What follows is an incredible scene because
this time it seems to be Hannibal

225
00:20:56,640 --> 00:21:02,900
who wishes to make contact with Deschryver
though at first the gorilla plays hard to get.

226
00:21:06,600 --> 00:21:08,280
[Gorilla grunts]

227
00:21:10,020 --> 00:21:13,760
Deschryver senses that something unusual is
going to happen.

228
00:21:22,500 --> 00:21:26,220
[Gorilla pounding chest]

229
00:21:28,400 --> 00:21:29,680
[Gorilla shouting]

230
00:21:29,680 --> 00:21:31,440
>>DESCHRYVER: Come, come, come, come, come,
come, come, come.

231
00:21:31,440 --> 00:21:42,220
>>DESCHRYVER: [speaking in French]

232
00:21:42,420 --> 00:21:48,040
>>NIVEN: Hannibal is reassured and settles
down again only feet away.

233
00:21:48,780 --> 00:21:50,540
[Birds chirping]

234
00:22:13,080 --> 00:22:20,080
But Deschryver is still certain something
tremendous is going to happen and suddenly it does.

235
00:22:20,260 --> 00:22:23,740
[Gorilla shouting fiercely]

236
00:22:24,040 --> 00:22:28,480
Was this aggression or a desire to make contact?

237
00:22:31,580 --> 00:22:34,960
Deschryver was totally unhurt as action replay
shows.

238
00:22:34,960 --> 00:22:37,020
[KISSY NOISES]

239
00:22:37,100 --> 00:22:40,740
[Gorilla roaring]

240
00:22:42,020 --> 00:22:46,200
>>NIVEN: The blow from that huge fist never
actually landed.

241
00:22:46,200 --> 00:22:49,360
The right hand simply pulled out the shirt.

242
00:22:49,360 --> 00:22:51,280
[Gorilla roars]

243
00:22:51,280 --> 00:22:53,680
Hannibal has never tried to repeat that performance.

244
00:22:53,680 --> 00:22:55,510
Possibly once was enough for him.

245
00:22:55,510 --> 00:22:57,880
It certainly was for Deschryver.

246
00:23:02,000 --> 00:23:07,420
At mid-day the gorillas seek thicker cover
and Deschryver once again follows them.

247
00:23:07,420 --> 00:23:12,320
They've been eating continuously since they
arose from their nests just after dawn.

248
00:23:12,320 --> 00:23:16,220
Now the gorillas take a lunch break, or rather
a non-lunch break.

249
00:23:16,220 --> 00:23:20,290
For up to two hours each day they relax and
stop eating,

250
00:23:20,290 --> 00:23:25,500
presumably to digest the huge intake of the
morning.

251
00:23:39,600 --> 00:23:42,540
Complete peace falls over the forest.

252
00:23:42,540 --> 00:23:46,350
The sound of crashing branches and rending
leaves stops.

253
00:23:46,350 --> 00:23:52,900
During this siesta period the gorillas groom
and relax.

254
00:23:55,560 --> 00:23:57,480
[Crunching of plants]

255
00:24:16,380 --> 00:24:20,820
Towards the end of the lunchtime break there's
sometimes a disturbance.

256
00:24:20,820 --> 00:24:25,220
The youngsters grow restless while like human
children after a picnic.

257
00:24:25,220 --> 00:24:29,360
With the indulgence of their seniors they
take part in play fights.

258
00:24:29,360 --> 00:24:32,120
The midday halt is the only time they can
do this

259
00:24:32,120 --> 00:24:38,480
without getting left behind by the constantly
moving family.

260
00:24:38,480 --> 00:24:48,000
[NOISES OF THE THICKET BEING DISTURBED AND
CHIRPING SOUNDS COMING FROM THE GORILLAS]

261
00:25:30,680 --> 00:25:33,900
>>NIVEN: Deschryver observes the same lunch
time pause.

262
00:25:33,900 --> 00:25:37,580
His field craft and knowledge of gorilla habits
often enables him

263
00:25:37,590 --> 00:25:41,110
to anticipate the next stopping place along
their intended route

264
00:25:41,110 --> 00:25:43,020
and he waits for them there.

265
00:25:43,020 --> 00:25:47,240
They climb up into the trees for their first
feed of the afternoon.

266
00:25:47,240 --> 00:25:52,400
What they're after is a parasitic growth rather
like mistletoe.

267
00:25:52,400 --> 00:25:56,600
[BRANCHES CRACKLING AND GORILLAS CHEWING]

268
00:26:35,000 --> 00:26:37,900
>>NIVEN: Previous observation of gorillas
in more open country

269
00:26:37,900 --> 00:26:41,800
has suggested that they were cautious and
rather clumsy climbers.

270
00:26:41,800 --> 00:26:46,460
In the forest of Kahuzi where there are plenty
of large trees to bare their weight

271
00:26:46,460 --> 00:26:49,900
they show themselves to be extraordinarily
agile.

272
00:26:59,660 --> 00:27:03,700
[Foliage crunching]

273
00:27:11,500 --> 00:27:13,140
They move on again.

274
00:27:13,180 --> 00:27:16,000
There's still three good feeding hours left.

275
00:27:16,000 --> 00:27:18,720
Their chosen route is taking them towards
the edge of the park

276
00:27:18,720 --> 00:27:21,670
where the trees end and the farm land begins.

277
00:27:21,670 --> 00:27:25,820
Kasimir clearly has a definite objective in
mind.

278
00:27:29,060 --> 00:27:33,100
It's very rarely that the whole group emerges
into the open together

279
00:27:33,100 --> 00:27:37,400
but that's what they do now on a track at
the border of the park.

280
00:27:37,400 --> 00:27:42,260
So here assembling for their portrait is Kasimir's
family.

281
00:27:42,260 --> 00:27:45,840
The young male Fred escorts a female.

282
00:27:45,840 --> 00:27:48,120
The difference in size is very evident.

283
00:27:48,120 --> 00:27:53,400
The males besides being much bigger have a
fatter face and a higher peaked forehead.

284
00:27:53,400 --> 00:27:57,020
Fred is probably seven or eight.

285
00:27:57,020 --> 00:28:01,940
This female looks pregnant in which case she's
probably carrying Kasimir's infant.

286
00:28:01,940 --> 00:28:07,060
Kasimir has first choice of receptive females.

287
00:28:08,740 --> 00:28:13,020
Though Kasimir is over twenty he's still very
much in command of the group.

288
00:28:13,020 --> 00:28:19,680
His stately exit tells the youngsters and
more timid females that it's safe to cross the track.

289
00:28:31,060 --> 00:28:33,180
[Gorilla growls]

290
00:28:34,200 --> 00:28:37,640
Any quarreling in the gorilla group is usually
among the females.

291
00:28:37,640 --> 00:28:40,520
Males take little notice of female temperament.

292
00:28:40,520 --> 00:28:43,660
They prefer to eat in dignified silence.

293
00:28:47,040 --> 00:28:48,240
[Gorilla growls]

294
00:28:55,860 --> 00:29:00,480
Gorillas do a good deal of barking to warn
or appear aggressive.

295
00:29:00,480 --> 00:29:04,600
Sometimes they give a questioning bark as
if to ask 'who's there?'

296
00:29:04,660 --> 00:29:10,460
[Gorillas barking]

297
00:29:13,500 --> 00:29:17,980
>>NIVEN: Now Hannibal and Mushamuka martial
the rest of the family to hurry on

298
00:29:17,980 --> 00:29:21,600
in the general direction which Kasimir has
indicated.

299
00:29:22,860 --> 00:29:24,860
[Gorillas crunching leaves]

300
00:29:37,260 --> 00:29:39,680
The final objective is now reached.

301
00:29:39,680 --> 00:29:43,380
A wild fruit called a bwemba is ripe for the
gathering.

302
00:29:43,390 --> 00:29:46,390
When the bwemba season comes gorilla groups
make their way

303
00:29:46,390 --> 00:29:50,180
to certain well-known bwemba trees and pillage
for ripe fruits.

304
00:29:50,180 --> 00:29:54,140
First they'll clean up the fruit that has
fallen to the ground.

305
00:30:01,940 --> 00:30:08,000
Then Kasimir leads the assault to the top-most
branches.

306
00:30:24,680 --> 00:30:26,440
[Gorilla growls]

307
00:30:27,620 --> 00:30:30,200
Mushamuka follows next.

308
00:30:48,320 --> 00:30:51,500
Then come the females and younger males.

309
00:31:13,380 --> 00:31:19,500
A youngster beats the branches though it's
hard to say why perhaps this time in play.

310
00:31:20,080 --> 00:31:22,120
[Gorilla growls]

311
00:31:38,980 --> 00:31:41,660
[Gorilla tapping branches]

312
00:31:53,250 --> 00:31:58,320
The bwemba feast is over for the day and when
the family finally climbs down

313
00:31:58,320 --> 00:33:14,740
each member has his mouth stuffed full of the
fruit.

314
00:33:14,740 --> 00:33:18,300
The gorillas seldom leave the forest and trespass
on the farmland.

315
00:33:18,300 --> 00:33:23,640
When they do so it brings them in contact
with the chief danger to their future: man.

316
00:33:23,640 --> 00:33:26,420
This particular man is no direct threat to
them.

317
00:33:26,420 --> 00:33:29,780
He's a simple farmer and he has every right
to be where he is

318
00:33:29,780 --> 00:33:35,780
but as long as trees are felled and forests
cleared the gorillas will be on the retreat.

319
00:33:35,780 --> 00:33:41,340
Now it's the African farmer who beats a retreat
minus his hat.

320
00:33:41,440 --> 00:33:43,480
[Gorilla grunts]

321
00:33:47,300 --> 00:33:52,580
The gorilla family continues unperturbed to
find a resting place at the end of their day.

322
00:33:52,580 --> 00:33:57,340
The farmer's hat becomes an object of brief
curiosity.

323
00:34:00,740 --> 00:34:02,260
[Gorilla barks]

324
00:34:11,000 --> 00:34:13,800
>>NIVEN: After considerable scrutiny they
discard it.

325
00:34:13,800 --> 00:34:17,900
Possibly because it's the one piece of vegetable
matter they've met with all that day that's

326
00:34:17,900 --> 00:34:20,179
no good to eat.

327
00:34:26,460 --> 00:34:30,620
Kasimir doesn't even dare to look at it as
he and his family move away

328
00:34:30,620 --> 00:34:32,659
to a nights rest in the forest.

329
00:34:32,659 --> 00:34:37,460
Tomorrow there'll be another feast of the
bwembas.

330
00:34:39,940 --> 00:34:44,320
That African farmer's limits are clearly defined
by this vital piece of paper.

331
00:34:44,320 --> 00:34:48,270
This letter justifies all Adrien Deschryver's
efforts.

332
00:34:48,270 --> 00:34:54,940
In 1970 President Mobutu Sese Seko of Zaire
designated the Kahuzi-Biega forest

333
00:34:54,940 --> 00:34:57,810
a national park for mountain gorillas.

334
00:34:58,520 --> 00:35:03,640
President Mobutu has more over declared that
up to 15% of his country will eventually become

335
00:35:03,640 --> 00:35:05,080
national park.

336
00:35:05,080 --> 00:35:12,000
So the omens for the Kahuzi-Biega gorillas
are good although the local situation continually needs watching.

337
00:35:16,220 --> 00:35:21,040
At many points tea and coffee plantations
march alongside the forest.

338
00:35:21,040 --> 00:35:26,080
Just beyond more trees have been felled that
were once all part of the gorilla's range.

339
00:35:26,080 --> 00:35:29,820
It's a situation which the farmers are always
going to try to push to the limit.

340
00:35:29,820 --> 00:35:33,020
On this particular boundary encroachment has
been stopped.

341
00:35:33,020 --> 00:35:36,040
Of the process of erosion goes on elsewhere.

342
00:35:36,040 --> 00:35:41,360
In the few places gorillas still exist they're
continually being pushed back.

343
00:35:49,760 --> 00:35:54,620
Even close to park headquarters Deschryver
has problems with intruding cattle.

344
00:35:54,620 --> 00:35:58,640
Recently he gave the villagers three warnings
to get their cows out of the forest

345
00:35:58,640 --> 00:36:03,400
and when this failed acting on direct orders
he shot quite a few head.

346
00:36:03,400 --> 00:36:09,200
His trackers who have watched their traditional
hunting grounds in the park had a feast.

347
00:36:20,000 --> 00:36:22,980
If such encroachment was not instantly checked

348
00:36:22,980 --> 00:36:26,730
there'd soon be a thousand or more cattle
trampling and eating the vegetation

349
00:36:26,730 --> 00:36:31,040
which the gorillas need for their survival
and their range would become even smaller.

350
00:36:33,320 --> 00:36:34,860
[Cows mooing]

351
00:36:34,860 --> 00:36:37,040
[DESCHRYVER SPEAKS IN FRENCH]

352
00:36:38,480 --> 00:36:42,280
>>NIVEN: The point was eventually taken and
the locals removed their cows

353
00:36:42,280 --> 00:36:45,380
at least for the moment.

354
00:36:45,380 --> 00:36:50,220
Poaching gorillas for food in the remotest
part of the forest is a constant threat.

355
00:36:50,220 --> 00:36:54,000
Deschryver has authority to shoot poachers
though he's never done so yet.

356
00:36:54,000 --> 00:36:59,120
Even though his own brother was killed by
a poacher's bullet intended for him.

357
00:37:03,040 --> 00:37:08,460
There is a tender side to Adrien Deschryver's
nature that is far from being sentimental.

358
00:37:08,460 --> 00:37:12,060
This baby gorilla's parents were killed by
poachers.

359
00:37:12,060 --> 00:37:14,580
Some farmers had adopted her.

360
00:37:14,580 --> 00:37:19,680
As warden of Kahuzi-Biega park Deschryver
has the authority over all gorillas in Zaire

361
00:37:19,680 --> 00:37:21,900
including orphans.

362
00:37:21,900 --> 00:37:26,140
So he flew his own aircraft to visit the farmers
who had adopted this one.

363
00:37:26,140 --> 00:37:29,840
Sadly he told them that they must give up
the young gorilla.

364
00:37:29,840 --> 00:37:34,360
There are so few gorillas left in the wild
that it was Deschryver's duty someday

365
00:37:34,360 --> 00:37:37,900
to try to return this baby to the wild state.

366
00:37:37,900 --> 00:37:45,680
At the time he had no idea how or when and could not have begun to guess how the story would end.

367
00:37:53,200 --> 00:37:59,820
As a start he took the mini gorilla back with
him to his house at Bukavu on the shores of Lake Kivu,

368
00:37:59,820 --> 00:38:04,900
with the idea of teaching her some of the
skills she'd need in the wild.

369
00:38:04,900 --> 00:38:09,950
Julie the nearest European equivalent to the
Swahili word nyani or gorilla

370
00:38:09,950 --> 00:38:12,700
was encouraged to play with his own children.

371
00:38:12,700 --> 00:38:17,200
This was not an entirely successful lesson
in breast beating.

372
00:38:26,280 --> 00:38:33,280
To a young gorilla a bicycle offers the same
sort of gymnastic opportunities as a young tree.

373
00:38:38,560 --> 00:38:42,900
You can cling and you can swing.

374
00:38:47,100 --> 00:38:49,740
[Children laughing]

375
00:38:57,620 --> 00:39:01,420
>>NIVEN: Adrien introduced her to the sort
of companions she might eventually meet

376
00:39:01,420 --> 00:39:04,680
if he ever succeeded in releasing her into
the wild,

377
00:39:04,680 --> 00:39:07,660
like this three-horned chameleon.

378
00:39:07,660 --> 00:39:09,380
But would
he succeed?

379
00:39:09,380 --> 00:39:14,240
There was no previous record of an orphan
being successfully adopted by a wild gorilla family.

380
00:39:15,840 --> 00:39:23,260
[Deschryver speaking French]

381
00:39:32,840 --> 00:39:34,360
[Julie grunts]

382
00:39:48,120 --> 00:39:50,940
>>NIVEN: Gorillas have very little use for
water.

383
00:39:50,940 --> 00:39:54,060
They obtain all the liquid they need from
the plants they eat

384
00:39:54,060 --> 00:39:56,660
and they certainly never bath.

385
00:39:56,660 --> 00:40:00,940
Grooming keeps their hair clean but there
were no gorilla adults to groom Julie

386
00:40:00,940 --> 00:40:04,840
so occasionally she had to endure bath night.

387
00:40:05,580 --> 00:40:06,620
[Julie grunts]

388
00:40:12,680 --> 00:40:14,960
Gorillas are not known to swim.

389
00:40:14,960 --> 00:40:20,340
One of the things that helps limit their natural
range is their inability to cross large rivers.

390
00:40:20,340 --> 00:40:24,120
For an animal naturally allergic to water
Julie was more cooperative

391
00:40:24,120 --> 00:40:28,060
than many small humans about being bathed.

392
00:40:30,940 --> 00:40:33,440
She was now about six months old.

393
00:40:33,440 --> 00:40:37,000
Up to six months young gorillas progress faster
than humans

394
00:40:37,000 --> 00:40:39,950
but this was no human baby however cuddly
she might be

395
00:40:39,950 --> 00:40:42,420
and however much she might behave like one.

396
00:40:42,420 --> 00:40:45,640
Deschryver had no illusions about the choice
that lay ahead:

397
00:40:45,640 --> 00:40:52,000
confinement in a zoo or the unknown presence
of confrontation with wild relatives.

398
00:41:01,800 --> 00:41:07,020
Young gorillas will continue to suckle up
to eighteen months longer if they're given the chance.

399
00:41:07,020 --> 00:41:10,880
Deschryver got his wife to bottle feed Julie

400
00:41:10,880 --> 00:41:15,320
but it would be too much of a risk to hope
that some lactating female would adopt her

401
00:41:15,320 --> 00:41:18,540
if and when she ever returned to the forest.

402
00:41:18,540 --> 00:41:21,090
It's easy to get a young mammal to accept
bottle feeding

403
00:41:21,090 --> 00:41:23,850
but far more difficult to wean it onto solids

404
00:41:23,850 --> 00:41:27,540
and this had to be done as soon as possible.

405
00:41:30,820 --> 00:41:31,860
[Julie grunts]

406
00:41:40,660 --> 00:41:43,040
Meantime, while Julie grew in strength,

407
00:41:43,040 --> 00:41:47,080
Deschryver's daily observations of gorilla
behavior influence continued.

408
00:41:47,080 --> 00:41:51,940
It was a rainy season and now the gorillas
had left the bwemba trees on the border of the park

409
00:41:51,940 --> 00:41:56,840
and climbed high into the bamboo forests that
begin at 7,500 feet.

410
00:41:56,840 --> 00:42:00,480
The bamboos provide them with a great deal
of protein at this time of year.

411
00:42:00,480 --> 00:42:03,710
For some reason the gorillas become more aggressive
and less approachable

412
00:42:03,710 --> 00:42:05,400
in the dense bamboo woodlands.

413
00:42:07,240 --> 00:42:13,640
[Bamboo rustling and gorillas grunting]

414
00:42:32,780 --> 00:42:35,100
[Bamboo stretching and snapping]

415
00:43:40,280 --> 00:43:43,500
>>NIVEN: Julie was constantly on Deschryver's
mind.

416
00:43:43,510 --> 00:43:49,690
One of the things taxing him was at what age
if ever he should try to return her to the forest.

417
00:43:49,690 --> 00:43:52,880
She could hardly hope to look after herself
at eighteen months old.

418
00:43:52,880 --> 00:43:58,460
Above all her education had to be kept up
so he started carrying her into the forest

419
00:43:58,460 --> 00:44:02,000
to get used to its sight, sounds, and smells.

420
00:44:12,820 --> 00:44:17,040
He began to show her wild food such as choice
banana leaves.

421
00:44:20,380 --> 00:44:22,300
[Leaves snapping]

422
00:44:24,000 --> 00:44:27,320
At first she didn't seem very keen but gradually
she began to chew on them.

423
00:44:27,320 --> 00:44:30,000
It was another great step forward.

424
00:44:32,360 --> 00:44:40,000
[Deschryver speaks French while tearing banana leaves]

425
00:45:02,160 --> 00:45:05,480
>>NIVEN: She was already an accomplished crawler.

426
00:45:11,080 --> 00:45:15,000
As first apparent Deschryver next persuaded
her to crawl with him.

427
00:45:15,000 --> 00:45:18,660
Just as she would with her mother when roaming
through the forest.

428
00:45:18,660 --> 00:45:21,220
She looked to him constantly for guidance.

429
00:45:26,700 --> 00:45:30,340
Deschryver confesses he became completely
captivated by her.

430
00:45:30,340 --> 00:45:33,100
Though he remained realistic about her future.

431
00:45:33,100 --> 00:45:36,760
It was no good becoming too attached to Julie
as warden he was committed

432
00:45:36,760 --> 00:45:38,610
to returning her to the wild.

433
00:45:38,610 --> 00:45:41,160
The question was when?

434
00:45:45,320 --> 00:45:48,860
Deschryver had no intention of trying to reintroduce
her too soon.

435
00:45:48,860 --> 00:45:51,820
He was prepared to wait years if necessary.

436
00:45:51,820 --> 00:45:57,660
The forest was far too intimidating and the
behavior of gorillas too uncertain to take any chances.

437
00:45:57,660 --> 00:45:59,460
[Gorilla roars]

438
00:46:01,060 --> 00:46:04,440
>>NIVEN: What now follows was completely unplanned.

439
00:46:04,440 --> 00:46:08,540
One day Deschryver decided to take Julie close
to Kasimir's family

440
00:46:08,540 --> 00:46:14,200
to let her hear and become used to the sounds
of wild gorillas.

441
00:46:29,120 --> 00:46:32,520
Hannibal was very close and obviously agitated.

442
00:46:32,580 --> 00:46:34,140
[Gorilla chirping]

443
00:46:39,280 --> 00:46:42,710
Now unexpectedly Julie started to cry.

444
00:46:42,710 --> 00:46:45,460
[Julie crying]

445
00:46:47,000 --> 00:46:48,120
[Gorilla barks]

446
00:46:48,180 --> 00:46:50,520
>>NIVEN: Even Deschryver began to get alarmed.

447
00:46:50,520 --> 00:46:53,080
There was no way he could retreat the gorillas
were all around.

448
00:46:53,080 --> 00:46:56,360
[Animal chirping]

449
00:47:00,720 --> 00:47:02,360
[Gorilla barks]

450
00:47:05,180 --> 00:47:06,580
[Gorilla barks]

451
00:47:12,180 --> 00:47:15,420
[Animal chirping]

452
00:47:16,980 --> 00:47:18,340
[Gorilla barks]

453
00:47:18,500 --> 00:47:23,200
In a situation like this the group would look
to Kasimir for a lead.

454
00:47:23,200 --> 00:47:24,300
Suddenly they got it.

455
00:47:24,560 --> 00:47:27,280
[Gorilla roaring]

456
00:47:27,340 --> 00:47:33,680
[Deschyver speaks French]

457
00:47:33,760 --> 00:47:39,960
[Gorilla shouting]

458
00:47:47,400 --> 00:47:51,180
>>NIVEN: By sheer good luck Kasimir stopped
in the one open space

459
00:47:51,180 --> 00:47:55,000
where the rest of the family waited to inspect
and fondle her.

460
00:47:59,840 --> 00:48:04,680
[Animal chirping]

461
00:48:09,640 --> 00:48:13,980
Kasimir reappeared briefly to reassert his
dominance over Deschryver

462
00:48:13,980 --> 00:48:17,080
whom they will regard as another gorilla leader.

463
00:48:17,080 --> 00:48:23,520
Deschryver admitted afterwards that he only
dropped Julie on the ground because he expected to be killed by Kasimir.

464
00:48:23,520 --> 00:48:26,020
The whole kidnapping happened so quickly

465
00:48:26,020 --> 00:48:29,619
that it's only possible to see the details in slowed
up action.

466
00:48:29,620 --> 00:48:35,320
[Gorillas roaring]

467
00:48:42,980 --> 00:48:48,780
>>NIVEN: Kasimir scooped Julie up carried
her away and then suddenly dropped her.

468
00:48:55,060 --> 00:48:58,680
Deschryver starts forward as if to try to
recover her but Kasimir

469
00:48:58,680 --> 00:49:02,440
was never once taking his eyes off him charges
once again.

470
00:49:02,440 --> 00:49:06,680
This time he successfully picks Julie up under
the undergrowth.

471
00:49:06,960 --> 00:49:10,480
[Leaves crunching]

472
00:49:23,720 --> 00:49:29,120
It was perhaps a tragedy that Kasimir took
matters into his own hands and kidnapped Julie.

473
00:49:29,120 --> 00:49:33,240
At last unprecedented rain and cold struck
the mountains.

474
00:49:33,240 --> 00:49:35,940
She lived for only ten days.

475
00:49:35,940 --> 00:49:38,940
Had there been a nursing female in the group
who could have breast fed her

476
00:49:38,940 --> 00:49:40,940
she might very well of survived.

477
00:49:40,940 --> 00:49:47,040
But the one thing that has been proved is
that wild gorillas will accept orphaned young.

478
00:49:50,120 --> 00:49:54,220
In creating Kahuzi-Biega National Park the
republic of Zaire

479
00:49:54,220 --> 00:50:00,000
has undoubtedly saved one of the largest remaining
populations of mountain gorillas.

480
00:50:00,000 --> 00:50:04,280
Adrien Deschryver is convinced that although
neighboring forest areas are also inhabited

481
00:50:04,280 --> 00:50:07,340
by the great apes he has made his daily companions.

482
00:50:07,340 --> 00:50:13,000
To establish this scientific surveys must
be done over a huge area of forest.

483
00:50:13,000 --> 00:50:17,960
Then his task is to try to get the size of the
present park enlarged.

484
00:50:17,960 --> 00:50:24,160
The dedication of the man is so complete that
he will almost certainly exceed.

485
00:50:24,340 --> 00:50:26,540
[Gorilla barks]

486
00:50:39,100 --> 00:50:42,380
[Insect noises]