Amazing! Playing with a silver back!!

[911motorsport]

I read somewhere that a Silver Back gorilla is approximately 20 times stronger than an average man. This guy is either incredibly brave or just plain daft.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ppLFuvlbrA0&feat...

Edited by 911motorsport on Thursday 30th October 00:58

[wildoliver]

If you look at the way it's grooming him he is obviously well accepted in to the group, dangerous still but no different to any animal really, he'll be able to read the signs if the gorilla got upset.

[shadowninja]

Wonderful.

[carerra g tea]

As wildoliver said, it might look scary to us, but the person has a special bond with the gorilla and is comfortable in the situation. Very cool.

[Dr JonboyG]

Are they the same kind that are all about to get killed by the fighting in the Congo?

[collateral]

Dr JonboyG said:

Are they the same kind that are all about to get killed by the fighting in the Congo?

IIRC there's lowland and mountain, and there are far fewer mountain ones knocking about

[993Targa]

The Silverback in the Youtube video is quite small relative to others. Some Silverbacks can weigh upto 250kg and are absolutely huge

I was in Rwanda a couple of weeks ago and went up into the mountains to trek the Gorillas. They are absolutely fascinating primates to watch and whilst you have to maintain a distance of 7metres from them, more often than not they came over to have a look at you.

At one sighting the Silverback did some chest thumping and then came over to the group. He clearly didn't like the American bloke who was videoing him so the Gorilla decided to push him to the ground.

Overall seeing the Gorilla's in their natural habitat was a truly memorable experience and something I will probably repeat in either the Congo or Uganda.

John

[carerra g tea]

John, is there a website where I could find out more about these treks?
Many thanks,
CGT.

[a boardman]

carerra g tea said:

John, is there a website where I could find out more about these treks?
Many thanks,
CGT.

this company do a couple of options.

http://www.exodus.co.uk/psearch?keys=Gorillas#resu...

[Jasandjules]

If they don't like you they make it pretty clear from what I've been told... That fellow seems quite clearly accepted by the animal, mutual grooming etc..

[trooperiziz]

carerra g tea said:

As wildoliver said, it might look scary to us, but the person has a special bond with the gorilla and is comfortable in the situation. Very cool.

Just like that guy who had the special bond with the wild bears...

[Dirty Boy]

To me it just looks like that man is the gorilla's bh.

[mechsympathy]

carerra g tea said:

John, is there a website where I could find out more about these treks?
Many thanks,
CGT.

It's organised by the Rwandan/Ugandan tourist organisations and isn't cheap ($450 when I didi it a couple of years ago). Plenty of tour companies will organise it for you, we turned up on spec and got a cancellation.

Each family group of gorillas gets one visit a day of an hour, the trek part is the slog up hill through wet undergrowth to get to the gorillas.

[Carl_Spackler]

Is it me or does it look like that 30 seconds into the clip he starts to give the silverback a hand job.

[NDA]

wildoliver said:

he'll be able to read the signs if the gorilla got upset.

It's generally when the Gorilla starts hitting you with the soggy end of the arm he's just pulled off.

[silverback mike]

[B.J.W]

NDA said:

wildoliver said:

he'll be able to read the signs if the gorilla got upset.

It's generally when the Gorilla starts hitting you with the soggy end of the arm he's just pulled off.

I suggest a new strategy, Artoo. Let the Wookiee win.

[bad_roo]

I would want to have a guy on hand with a shooter just in case the gorilla got a bit tasty.

[schmokin1]

that looks like Damian Aspinall, whose father John set up Howletts and Port Lympe (spelling?) zoos in Kent, using profits from his London casinos. He'll have known that beast for years and years so knows exactly what he's doing. Western Lowland gorilla as I recall. Both zoos are excellent and well worth a visit as they have great breeding programmes, particularly for gorilla, rhino and tigers.

[bad_roo]

schmokin1 said:

that looks like Damian Aspinall, whose father John set up Howletts and Port Lympe (spelling?) zoos in Kent, using profits from his London casinos. He'll have known that beast for years and years so knows exactly what he's doing. Western Lowland gorilla as I recall. Both zoos are excellent and well worth a visit as they have great breeding programmes, particularly for gorilla, rhino and tigers.

Ah the Aspinall legacy.

The fourth keeper to be killed by animals at zoos owned by the millionaire John Aspinall died yesterday after being mauled by a tiger. Visitors saw Trevor Smith attacked as he worked in the enclosure of two Siberian tigers at Howletts zoo, founded by Mr Aspinall at Bekesbourne, near Canterbury, Kent. Mr Smith, 33, who was married, was making a routine visit to the enclosure abou 1.30pm yesterday. He was bitten on the neck by the tiger called Balkash, who picked him up by the head. His colleague, Nick Marx, beat off the tiger with a spade but Mr Smith died at the scene.

You'd have thought they'd have learned how unpredictable wild animals can be. They get very cross. Trying to beat one off with a spade probably isn't going to help much...

Edited by bad_roo on Thursday 30th October 11:59