WHAT TO DO WHEN A GORILLA CHARGES AT YOU
What To do when a Gorilla Charges at you : Gorillas are known for being shy and gentle species which is why they were nicknamed the gentle giants. However, despite the fact that they are gentle, they can be seen being violent towards one another and to the tourists that participate in gorilla trekking in Africa. There are a number of gorilla trekking destinations that will fulfil all your desires in the wild and these include Mgahinga national park and Bwindi impenetrable national park if you’re interested in gorilla trekking in Uganda, volcanoes national park for gorilla trekking in Rwanda and gorilla trekking in kahuzi biega national park and gorilla trekking in Congo that will give you the opportunity to understand the endangered gorillas in the wild.
Before you take part in gorilla trekking on Africa at the different destinations, you should pay attention during the briefing session to understand the rules and regulations to follow as you participate in the activity and when you get to the habituated gorilla families so as to avoid a number of incidents like gorillas charging at you because the gentle giants can easily be triggered and in such difficult situations, you should consider the following measures when the gorillas charge at you;
Avoid making eye contact
You should be submissive when a gorilla charges at you and one of the ways to show you are submissive is to avoid making eye contact with a gorilla, you should look way from its direction until when it calms down. Making eye contact represents challenging them to a fight and once you make that mistake, the mountain gorillas can kill you in a fight because they are quite strong species compared to humans.
Stay calm and avoid making noise
One of the triggers that can lead a gorilla to charge at you is making unnecessary noise as you visit their habituated families. The gorillas interpret noise as a threat to their existence and by this you should avoid making it while in their presence however once they charge at you because of a number of reasons, you should not make noise in other words you should be calm to avoiding upsetting them more
Remain passive
While a gorilla is charging at you, you should consider remaining passive however much they grunt and make intimidating noise that may scare you for instance they can slap the ground, they can grab onto your clothes, they can also be seen jumping up and down once you do not react until help arrives. Without showing resistance to whatever the gorillas is doing, the gorillas will become disinterested and leave you alone.
Groom the gorilla
Grooming can be a way of creating a bond with individuals and in primates, gorillas can be seen grooming one another by using their fingers and teeth to comb each other’s fur however once a gorilla charges at you and makes a tight grip using its hands you should consider grooming it as you smack your lips slowly which will help to distract the gorilla without threatening it this will help to relax its grip and this will help you to move away from it but you should remain calm until it becomes calm.
Make yourself a small target
Gorillas do not take well challenges and when the gorilla is triggered and you find yourself being in a compromising situation with it, make your small a small target by either crouching down or remaining humble and facing the ground this will help to cool down the gorillas and also avoid you from being attacked by the gorillas. During gorilla fights, the challenger makes direct contact and stands on its two feet to show that he is ready for the fight and if you find yourself being loud and courageous by making eye contact with the gorilla while it charges at you, it can be quite fatal therefore you should consider making yourself a small target to avoid fatal attacks during your safaris.
By following the above suggestions, be sure to enjoy your best gorilla trekking safaris even though a gorilla charges at you.
