John J. King II only hoped to see the endangered species during his trip to Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Yet he received much more. When some gorillas decided to stop beside their camp, King was thrust into an unusual conflict.
The unusual event left the man feeling both anxious and overjoyed, but he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. The young gorillas approach the man while he is still, perhaps curious, and the adults watch cautiously from a distance. Even worse, the kids climbed up on King’s back and began grooming him.
According to King, “the trackers urged us to sit in a passive attitude, and they will generally go away.” “One of the infants held my arm lovingly. I have no words for how delicate it was. It felt like a sweet young child stroking your arm.
King decided not to act because he was aware of how dangerous the silverbacks were, especially with their young ones nearby.
He continued, “Instead of going away, it followed me and started grooming me on the shoulder and head. I couldn’t look him in the eye as the silverback came closer because I was so dazzled.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature once classified the stunning creatures as endangered. In the wild, only 680 remained, with 50% of them in Bwindi National Park. Several conservation initiatives have helped this species grow to over 1,000 individuals worldwide.
