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In search of gorillas

Mark Stuartson heads to the rainforests of Gabon in central Africa in search of the country's secretive wildlife.

When I joined a small group of keen wildlife watchers on a trip to Gabon, I imagined that reaching the country's untamed forests would be a major expedition involving specially adapted vehicles. It came as a bit of a let down, therefore, to discover that, on the initial part of the journey at least, we'd be able to rely on the services of a reasonably punctual train. We did however observe local people struggling to make much shorter journeys across deep, fast-flowing rivers or cutting their way through dense vegetation. But by evening, we'd reacherd the comfortable hotel which acts as the starting point for trips into the forest reserve.

Next morning, we set off for our first camp deep in the forest. We passed plenty of abandoned vehicles left to rot by the readside, but few villages. Eventually, we arrived at our first camp. Contrary to first impressions, this group of thatched huts boasted many of the facilities usually associated with tourist hotels.

The real stars of the forest reserve, however, are its gorillas. These are best seen around the site of our second camp, Mikongo, and getting there involved boarding a small boat which floated down the Offoue River. It was an impressive trip, but the animals of the forest were proving annoyingly elusive; although we could hear plenty of creatures, they seemed to be nervous about putting in an appearance.

On arrival at Mikongo, we were greeted by a Canadian naturalist who told us that, unlike the highhly endangered mountain gorillas in Uganda and Rwanda, the Gabon forest gorillas remain largely unstudied. This is partly because their habitat covers a much greater area than that of their mountain cousins. The fact that they travel up to six kilometres each day in small groups through the dense cover of the forest makes it difficult to track them. What's more, researchers are unable to use radio collars on the animals, because it would be impossible to get near enough to them without risking an attack by the group leader.

The naturalist's team was working with three gorilla groups, trying to get them used to human visitors. Initially, she'd thought that having tourists coming to the reserve was something to discourage because of the possible long-term effects on the environment. Now, she realises that without them there wouldn't be funds necessary for the research which is vital for the gorillas' ongoing survival.

On the final afternoon of the trip, we initially thgought we'd found what we'd been looking for. The gorillas seemed to be close, but we heard little - how could such bulky beasts move so quietly? In reality, though, the closer we thought we were, the further we had fallen behind. Finally, like magicians, they'd vanished without trace. It was an experience of a lifetime, although it was disappointing not to come face-to-face with any of these maginificent creatures.