Young Gorillas Spotted Dismantling Poachers’ Traps For The First Time

On Tuesday tracker John Ndayambaje spotted a trap very close to the Kuryama gorilla clan. He moved in to deactivate the snare, but a silverback named Vubu grunted, cautioning Ndayambaje to stay away, Vecellio said.

Suddenly two juveniles—Rwema, a male; and Dukore, a female; both about four years old—ran toward the trap.

As Ndayambaje and a few tourists watched, Rwema jumped on the bent tree branch and broke it, while Dukore freed the noose.

The pair then spied another snare nearby—one the tracker himself had missed—and raced for it. Joined by a third gorilla, a teenager named Tetero, Rwema and Dukore destroyed that trap as well.

Humans have strayed far from the teachings of our ancestors. We once knew the importance of preserving and respecting all living things on this planet. Now, with the rise of today’s consumerist culture, we focus instead on acquiring material possessions, only to discard them and acquire even more, newer versions of these possessions. Worse still, much of what we purchase today has its roots in child labor and animal cruelty/suffering, and all of this is done for the sake of economic growth and globalization.

As a result, as studies have recently shown, the Earth has entered into a mass extinction phase. Vertebrates are disappearing at a rate 114 times faster than normal. These include mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish, and there are several reasons for this decline. For example, an acre of land is cleared every second to graze animals and grow their food crops, resulting in the loss of over one hundred plant, animal, and insect species. Climate change, pollution, and deforestation seem to be the main culprits.

At the rate we are going, it seems unlikely that humans will be able to survive on this planet as close as one hundred years from now.

This entire experience, however, has served us in a way like no other. More and more people are starting to become aware of what is really happening on this planet and are starting to feel the urge to change. This is a good sign, and something that’s desperately needed at this time. I personally feel that our planet is actually shifting itself in the right direction, but it seems likely that it will be a challenging, if worthwhile, process for us all.

Arjun Walia

I joined the CE team in 2010 shortly after finishing university and have been grateful for the fact that I have been able to do this ever since There are many things happening on the planet that don’t resonate with me, and I wanted to do what I could to play a role in creating change. It’s been great making changes in my own life and creating awareness and I look forward to more projects that move beyond awareness and into action and implementation. So stay tuned [email protected]