There are many people who adore animals and will stop at nothing to keep them safe. However, there are also individuals who purposefully hurt them, like poachers and hunters, and their methods, at the very least, are dubious. And while the unfortunate animals are frequently unable to stop human abuse, on occasion, there is nothing left to do but fight back.
The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund’s Karisoke Research Center received a report of one such occurrence in 2012 when a ranger noticed something no one had ever seen before. Two young mountain gorillas were observed cooperating to find and dismantle poachers’ snares. Quite remarkable accomplishment for an animal!
Representatives of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund claimed to have witnessed gorillas destroying snares.
“This is definitely the first instance of juveniles acting in that manner… According to Veronica Vecellio, who coordinated the gorilla program at the Karisoke Research Center of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, “I am not aware of any other cases of youngsters removing snares in the globe. The reserve where the action occurred is close to the research facility.
Vecellio added, “I would be very shocked if anybody else had seen that. We are the greatest database and observer of wild gorillas.
According to reports, the juvenile mountain gorillas displayed this behavior only a few days after one of their own was killed by a similar trap. Maybe that was the driving force for their new assignment.
In Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park, bush-meat hunters frequently set up snares to catch antelope and other animals, but occasionally apes get caught in the traps. And whereas adult gorillas can break these ties free on their own, juvenile apes are less fortunate.
Another baby gorilla named Ngwino was discovered by Karisoke staff less than a week before the young ones were observed tearing apart snares set up by hunters, but they were too late to save the animal as it swiftly died from snare-related wounds. She dislocated her shoulder while trying to break free of her shackles, and the ropes’ deep cuts on her leg caused gangrene to develop. Conservationists claim that hunters rarely show an interest in the gorillas they have kidnapped and instead abandon them to perish in snares.
Snares are frequently used to trap animals by hunters and poachers alike since they are quick and simple to put up. The snares are constructed by wrapping a rope around a branch or a bamboo stalk to form a noose, which is then secured in place. The rope is hidden by nearby plants to prevent being seen, and if the animal even slightly moves the stick, it rises upward, and the noose closes, capturing it.
To prevent endangered species from dying from snares, trackers at the reserve frequently sweep the area to remove them. It’s not exactly an easy chore, though, because there are so many of them and it’s difficult to notice them. A silverback named Vubu warned tracker John Ndayambaje when he noticed a snare close to one of the gorilla communities. When two juvenile gorillas, Rwema, a male, and Dukore, a female, both around four years old, sprang into the trap, the tracker saw something surprising. Dukore quickly followed Rwema to free the noose when Rwema broke the crooked tree branch with a jump. The two heroes, who were now joined by Tetero, a third teenage ape, quickly located another snare, which they also quickly dismantled.
Despite the fact that the actions are actually amazing and successful, the trackers claim that they are opposed to training the animal’s such behavior. They would be breaking their code if they introduced a foreign activity since they wish to interfere as little as possible with the gorillas’ natural existence. But when animals figure out a means to fight back, you can’t help but smile, can you?
Here’s how people reacted to the gorillas’ actions
