See Photographers’ Incredible Encounter with an Extremely Peaceful Mountain Gorilla

Some encounters with wild animals are just too adorable and this is one of them. This incredible footage was captured in the aptly named Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.

It’s in Nyabwishenya, in the Bufumbira region of Kisoro, Uganda. This is an area where the International Gorilla Conservation Program encourages responsible gorilla tourism. If done correctly, it can be of benefit to the local human communities and therefore to the gorillas themselves. For example, income from this tourism has built large rainwater harvesting tanks which means that the local communities do not have to cross through gorilla territories to obtain water.

In this adorable footage, a young female gorilla comes out of nowhere and starts striking poses for the camera like she’s been doing it all her life! Scroll down to see the full incredible footage of this not-so-camera-shy gorilla.

Watch the Adorable Footage Below!

Is the Mountain Gorilla Endangered?

Sadly, the mountain gorilla is listed as endangered by the IUCN. However, the good news is that the numbers are now thought to be increasing with the work of conservation efforts.

The threats to the gorilla populations arise from residential and commercial human development, energy production and mining, hunting and logging, and climate change to name just a few.

How Do Mountain Gorillas Normally Behave?

Mountain gorillas are intelligent and gentle creatures. They can use tools, can self-reflect, and plan their actions. Some have even been able to use sign language.

Experts believe that mountain gorillas can feel happy and sad and form strong attachments to others. They are social animals who live in small groups called troops.

Within a troop, there is a single dominant male, along with several females and their young. The role of the male is to mate with the females and to organize the other troop members. He also provides protection.

So, if there is a threat nearby you will see the normally calm males become aggressive. Typically, they pound their chest and roar. 

How Large Do Gorillas Get?

Gorillas are among the largest and most powerful primates alive. An average silverback gorilla can weigh up to 397 pounds, and measure over 5 feet 5 inches tall on all fours. In contrast, female mountain gorillas weigh 198 pounds and measure up to 4 feet 9 inches.

The biggest gorilla ever documented was a silverback shot in Ambam, Cameroon, weighing 589 pounds. In captivity, male gorillas can reach weights of around 683 pounds.

What Do Gorillas Normally Eat?

Mountain gorillas are herbivores and mainly like to eat plants with juicy stems. They also eat berries, ferns, leaves, and bark. Gorillas feed during the day and are careful to move around so that they don’t strip a particular area of all vegetation. They can eat up to 75 pounds of food in a day!

The photo featured at the top of this post is © Kit Korzun/Shutterstock.com